


The Quiet Type

by aknightchild



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-08-20 08:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16552115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aknightchild/pseuds/aknightchild
Summary: It's always the quiet ones.Cadence Riggs has a past. A reputation. But it's not what everyone thinks it is. They don't know about her gifts with art. They don't know about why she's so bruised up all the time. Or what causes her to hang out with the rougher crowd in school, even when they seem to hate her just as much as she hates them. None of them know the real her.But Josh Dun is determined to. He wants to peek into the mind and heart of the girl that paints images of outer space on the long-forgotten train car in his backyard. He wants to discover just what makes her seem so out of reach to rest the people around them. But that might cause Cadence's carefully constructed lie of a life to crumble before everyone's very eyes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello, I'm bringing this story over from my wattpad, hopefully it will have a better chance over here. Thank you in advance for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song:
> 
> Who Are You, Really? by Mikky Ekko

I stepped away from the wall, examining what I had just painted onto it. I slid the now nearly empty spray paint can into my coat pocket and decided that I was satisfied with my work. I knew that I needed to be heading home if I had any hope of staying awake at school for more than a few minutes at a time. The word 'LIBERATE' stared back at me as I gathered my things. The word itself was a soft periwinkle color that was surrounded by flowers, greenery, and birds in flight. It was a bit cliché compared to my usual stuff, but after the night I had, I didn't really care about that sort of thing.

I hurried out of the vacant apartment building, making sure that no one saw me as I slung my backpack over my shoulder before stepping out. As much as I just wanted to take my time making my way home, I knew that the longer I stayed out, the worse it might be for me at home.

I was glad to see that everyone was asleep when I arrived. I made sure to be as quite as possible, but my efforts were made useless when I stepped on something that had clearly already been broken. I held my breath as I stood motionless in the darkness of the hallway, listening for any sign that I had woken anyone up.

I let out a silent breath of relief and made sure that my parent's bedroom door was shut before I turned on the light. I went to find a broom to clean up the broken plate I could now see. As soon as that was done I went straight to my room to change and crawled in bed. In the dim light provided by the moon I could see that splotches of pastel paint littered my arms, they were a strange contrast to my dark bruises. It was almost amusing; it was like a visual representation of the life I tried to live and the one that was thrown at me. Strange colors that didn't belong together. I sighed as I rolled over, probably only staining my sheets further from previous night's just like this one.

The next morning, I was glad that I woke up to only my alarm clock, it meant that I was alone. I rolled out bed and headed straight for the shower, quickly cleaning the paint off of my skin and out of my brassy blonde hair as best as I could. After that was taken care of and I was all dry, I grabbed a black shirt that didn't have too many holes in it and a pair of faded jeans before grabbing my jacket as I ran out the door.

"Cady! Get over here!" My best friend Ronnie called while waving at me as I approached our high school.

I dashed over to her asking, "What's up?"

"You just missed it! Louis just got expelled for fighting!" She gushed like it was possibly the worst and biggest news she had ever heard.

I rose an eyebrow and gave her a wry grin, "Seriously? Again?"

"I know, right? I told him to just lay off the kid, but no he has to have the last word and apparently what he wanted to say involved punching them in the face." She tells me with a shake of her head.

"I don't even know why you're still dating him."

Before she could respond we were being yelled at.

"Ronda Stiner! Cadence Riggs! The late bell is about to ring, get inside and go to class!" Our principle shouts from the front door.

Ronnie and I both send each other looks of annoyance as we make our way inside. The halls were nearly empty so making it to our first period was easy and even though we weren't late, our algebra teacher, Mrs. Harrison, didn't spare us from her glaring. We took our assigned seats, both in front at opposite sides of the room. It wasn't like I got into a lot of trouble, just hanging around Ronnie's other friends made me look bad.

I was moved out of my thoughts when Mrs. Harrison placed the test we had taken last week on my desk with a murmur of, "Well done."

There was a red hundred circled in the top corner of the paper. It didn't surprise me in the least, so I simply tucked it into my book with a bunch of other things I had crammed between the pages. Mrs. Harrison quickly finished passing back the tests and got up to the whiteboard right as the door cracked open to reveal another one of my classmates that clearly knew they were late.

"Mr. Dun, may I ask where have you been?" Mrs. Harrison questioned as she turned her attention away from the notes she had just begun writing.

"Sorry ma'am, Tyler's car broke down half way here and we had to walk the rest of the way." He explains as he hurried to take his seat.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She tells him with a bit of sympathy in her voice. "Alright well, it's time we start this week's lesson..."

I borrowed a sheet of paper from the girl behind me and began taking the notes Mrs. Harrison wrote the board, only vaguely noticing Josh Dun taking his seat to the left of me. Near the end of the period I felt a swift tapping on my right shoulder and I peered behind me to see that Foster was the one trying to get my attention.

"Hey, you should come with me and Ronnie over to Travis' house after school." He tells me with a playful smirk.

"I'll think about it." I mutter before turning back around so I wouldn't get called out for not paying attention.

"You're not still afraid of him, are you?" Foster questions softly and I could envision the wicked grin on his face.

My jaw tightened at his words as I only shook my head.

"Oh, sure." He murmurs before finally leaving me be.

I let out a tiny huff of air, before glancing over at the clock to the left of the room, only to find Josh gazing at me. His dark brown eyes hurriedly look away and before I could do or say anything the dismissal bell rang.

Right as I went to get out of my seat Foster was blocking my way and I didn't hesitate to push past him so I could stand up.

"So, have you still not forgiven him yet?"

I rolled my eyes explaining, "That sort of thing usually isn't forgiven."

I wanted to throw something at him as he followed me out of the room and strolled along beside me on my way to art class, even though his 2nd period was in the next hallway.

"Was it really that big of a deal though? Nothing actually ended up happening."

That was it. I snapped, "Maybe not to you!"

I noticed that several people were looking at us now, so I lowered my voice to a growl, "But I don't recall you being thrown in the back of a cop car. So, I happen to have a different opinion of that night."

"Damn Cady, calm down, will you? It's probably better that you don't come, you're no fun anyway." Foster grumbled before going in the opposite direction.

I stalked into my next class, tossing my backpack under the table as I sat down. I pulled out my current project and quickly got to work, doing my best to ignore the sideways glances I was receiving from my classmates. They were probably all wondering what my outburst had been about and since Foster was Travis' best friend, they all probably had a good idea on it. I took comfort in the fact none of them actually knew what had happened between me and Travis, at least I had that on my side.

When the school day was finally over I rushed to make my way off the grounds before Ronnie or any of her friends noticed me. I was almost around the corner when a sliver car pulled up beside me and Ronnie's black head of hair popped out of the passenger seat.

"Cady! Hop in!" She called out.

I shook my head and lied, "I can't, I have a ton of homework."

She waved it off, "So? You have straight A's in almost every class. You can afford to slack off a little."

I sighed as I gave in and stepped over to the car. Ronnie let out a cheer as I opened the back door to climb inside, causing several heads to turn in our direction. I felt my mood lower even more when I saw that I had to sit next to Foster, but before anything could be said Louis had cranked up the radio. He nearly did a burnout once I was in the vehicle and I had to struggle to get my seat belt on as he sharply turned a corner. I found myself wondering how in the world Ronnie managed to enjoy the company she made us keep. I knew that deep down if I hadn't of been friends with her since the second grade that I wouldn't be caught dead with any of the other people she put me around. If I never actually genuinely worried about her getting into something dangerous then I probably still wouldn't be as involved as I am.

My stomach tightened from nerves as we pulled up to Travis' house, finding that like usual, his mother wasn't home. I was the last to get out of the car, but none of them seemed to notice that as they rushed to get inside. I stared at the front door like it was the entrance to a lion's den, but I knew that remaining outside would only make me look worse. I wasn't the least bit shocked to see him with a beer and cigarette in his hands as I entered and I watched a smile slowly curl his lips when he caught sight of me.

"Cady, I've missed you baby doll." He tells me as he closes the space between us with a hug.

"Same here." I say in a half lie. I knew that it shouldn't be true at all, but I found myself experiencing my normal giddiness that I get from his touch.

He pulled back with a glint in his hazel-green eyes saying, "I thought you would never come back."

I shrugged, "Well here I am."

He gently snaked his long arm around my waist and guided me to sit on the couch beside him. He held out his beer to me and I instantly shook my head, but before he could ask why I had refused it, Louis piped up.

"Oh my god, you missed it today man. I kicked this kid's ass before class and it was hilarious." He tells Travis and then takes a long swig from the whiskey bottle in his hand.

If I hadn't known for a fact that almost everyone in this room, besides Travis, was seventeen then I would have sworn that Louis was at least in his twenties. He drank like he was, that's for sure.

"I didn't get to see it, who did you beat up?" Foster asks as he lights a blunt.

"That little fairy kid, Quinn."

Ronnie nearly choked on her drink at the name and I shot to my feet demanding, "What the hell did you say?"

Louis grinned up at me murmuring, "You heard me."

Travis got up to place a hand on my shoulder asking, "What's going on?"

I ignored his question and continued to speak to Louis, "Are you talking about one of the freshmen?"

He nodded with a wry grin.

I leaned down until my face was within inches of his, seething, "Were you aware that Quinn is my younger brother?"

The response I had expected to get was far from the one I ended up receiving, he just laughed at me.

Wordlessly I drew my hand back and smacked him across the jaw, that's what got him taking this seriously.

"You little bitch!" He shouted and right as he grabbed for me, Travis had yanked me behind his towering frame.

"Calm down." He instructs as he presses a hand to Louis' shoulder.

"She had no right to hit me!" Louis screamed.

"Oh, but you could put your hands on my brother all you wanted, couldn't you?" I spat back.

"You're so lucky Travis is protecting you, or else I would be teaching you a lesson right now!" He barked as Ronnie did her best to hold him back, pleading with him to relax.

"Of course, you're afraid to fight someone that could actually hurt you. Coward."

"Cady, I think you should just go." Foster remarks while glaring at me.

"Fine." I say in a clipped tone and head for the door.

On my way back home, I was still shaking with rage. How could Louis hit my brother? It wasn't like he didn't get enough of that at home. I was halfway there when I heard a car come up behind me and then someone was yelling at me.

"Here, try to loosen up you fucking bitch!" Louis' voice shouts and suddenly he had thrown a large cup full of beer all down my side.

I shrieked, but before I could move to get after him, the car was already speeding off into the distance. I stood there, dripping wet and I knew that if I went home like this that it would find a way of ending badly.

"Hey, are you alright?" I hear a voice warily ask me and I turn to the house across the street, seeing that it was Josh Dun speaking to me.

I instantly felt embarrassed, of course someone that I had classes with had seen. I flung some of the sour smelling beer off of my arm calling back, "Yeah, I'll be alright."

"What was that even about?" He asked, still appearing worried.

Suddenly another person stepped out of the house Josh stood in front of and I recognized him as Tyler Joseph.

"Josh, what's going on out here?" He questioned and as soon as he saw me, he tells Josh, "Dude, just come back in."

"Hang on." Josh replies and then turns his focus back to me, "Cadence, come over here."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song: 
> 
> Trembling Hands by The Temper Trap

I hesitated on my side of the street, watching Josh's expectant face as he beckoned me to him. I let out a small sigh before making my way over. Tyler hurried over to us, sending anxious glances between Josh and me.

"What is that?" He asked as he moved to stand next to Josh.

"Beer."

"Why would some throw beer at you?" Josh asked looking stunned.

"I guess he didn't appreciate me smacking him in the face earlier." I mutter with a shrug.

"Why did you..."

I instantly cut him off, "Look, I don't feel like being interrogated. I need to be finding a way to get myself clean before I get home. So, I'll see you later."

"Wait," Josh called as he hurried after me, "I could lend you some clothes if you need them."

I paused as I considered it for a moment and I knew that no one in my house would notice my new attire, but they would notice if I came home covered in alcohol. So, I nodded, "Okay, thank you."

Josh smiled brightly, making his eyes crinkle slightly as he tells me, "Okay, follow me."

We all went in through the back so I wouldn't get anything on the carpet in the living room. We rushed through the kitchen and up the stairs to a small bathroom.

Josh gestured for me to step inside saying, "Wait right here."

He ran off further down the hallway while Tyler remained in the door way, observing me.

"So, what made you hit the guy?" He questioned, clearly disregarding what I had said earlier.

I rolled my eyes, but confessed, "He had punched my younger brother today."

His eyebrows shot up in shock, "Oh, wow. I'm so sorry. Why did he even do that?"

"Why does Louis do anything that he does?" I grumbled as I took a seat on the edge of the bathtub.

"Louis Helmer?"

I only nodded.

"He's on the basketball team with me, that could get him kicked off."

"I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet, with the number of drugs in his system it's shocking that he can even manage playing."

Before anything else could be said Josh stepped back into the room, holding some clothes and a towel.

He hands me the things in his hands saying, "You can take a shower if you want."

I thanked him yet again before shutting and locking the door. I swiftly stripped down and hopped in the shower to briskly get rid of the stale beer smell on my skin. Once I was out I dried off and turned my attention to the clothes. I rinsed the beer stained part of my bra off before slipping it back on, trying to ignore the uncomfortable wet feeling. I pick up the black t-shirt seeing that the sleeves were cut off and it had a design with a flying saucer that read 'I want to believe'. I slipped the shirt on before grabbing the black basketball shorts to slip those on as well.

I folded up the rest of my damp clothing into a neat pile before doing the same with the towel. I opened the bathroom door and I honestly surprised to that they weren't waiting on me come out or something.

"Um, guys?" I called out apprehensively.

A second later I saw Josh pop his head out of a door at the end of the hall asking, "You're done already?"

I nodded, "Yeah, thanks for this. I'll be sure to get them back to you tomorrow."

Josh moved out of his room, taking the towel away from me and handed me a plastic bag explaining, "Here, take this so you don't have to carry the wet clothes back in your hands."

I smiled softly, "Thanks for all this."

He smiled yet again and shrugged, "It's no problem."

He followed me back down the stairs, probably to make sure that I didn't steal anything on my way out. When I stepped out of his house I turned slightly to wave goodbye to him, but I watched his expression quickly change.

"What happened to your ribs?" He asked with a concerned filled voice.

My hand slapped over my bare side, causing it to sting slightly thanks to the bruising there. "The fight was kind of intense."

"But they look old." He pointed out.

I took a step back as he came closer to me, "I don't see how they could."

"Are they from something else?"

I shook my head, "Not from anything that I can think of."

I wasn't used to seeing someone give me such a worried look over my well-being, maybe that's why it made my heart momentarily pick up pace. I didn't need him meddling with my situation. So, I slowly began taking steps toward the driveway, so I could get out here.

"I'm fine, I promise." I lie as I hastily move to leave his house. "I've really got to leave now, so I'll see you later."

I took off running before he could yell after me, or do something else to stop me. It was nice of him to help me, but anything past lending me some clothes I had to reject. At least for his sake. I finally slowed down to walk when I reached the road to my place. I snuck inside, praying that I was alone. I was lucky enough to reach my room and toss my dirty clothes under the bed before I heard a booming shout.

"Cadence! I know you're here! Get in here!" My father's voice demands.

I find him in Quinn's room, standing over my brother as he had his face buried in a pillow. I run over to his side, but before I can say anything my dad beats me to it.

"Why did you let this happen to him?" He barked.

I shook my head as I placed a hand on Quinn's shoulder, "It happened before I had even got to school."

"Of course, it did." He snarled, "You know that there are people that think that I discipline the two of you too harshly. This will only make it worse if they happen to see him like this."

A part of me wanted to laugh at his words, at the fact he wanted to call what he does 'discipline'. I obviously hold myself back from doing that and simply say, "I'm sorry."

He lifted his hand in a striking motion, causing me to tense as he warned "You ought to be."

With that he stalks out of the room and I release a shaky sigh of relief.

At last I turn my focus to Quinn and take a seat next to him asking, "So, do you want to tell me what happened?"

He slowly rolled onto his side, exposing the black eye he now owned. It stood out starkly against his fair complexion, only making it appear to be far worse. "Louis decided to be the dick of the year because I accidently ran into him on the way to my locker."

My jaw dropped in disbelief questioning, "He punched you just because you bumped into him?"

"Well... I did also say something to him about him enjoying it since I got such a big reaction out of him."

I sighed heavily, "Why would you go doing something like that to a guy like him? Everyone knows that he's too much of a moron to catch a joke."

Quinn chuckled for a moment before wincing thanks to his bruise. I decided to go get him some Tylenol and on my way to the medicine cabinet I heard the sound of the front door opening.

I hastily grabbed two pills and rushed back to Quinn's room hearing my dad speak, "What took you so long to get home?"

I picked up the water bottle off of my brother's nightstand before giving him the things in my hands. He softly thanked me, he seemed to be listening to the conversation too.

"I told you yesterday, I'm going to start taking on extra hours at work." Our mom tells him with a waver present in her tone.

A sharp snapping sound that I was all too familiar with, met my ears.

"You didn't tell me shit! How am I supposed to know that you're not out there being a fucking whore?" My father roared causing both Quinn and I to flinch.

Quinn suddenly tapping on my arm pulled my focus back to him as he whispered, "When exactly did you say that you're getting us away from him?"

No matter how hard I tried to block out the sounds of my mother softly crying I couldn't, and I hated that she was even doing it in the first place. I knew that I had promised my brother countless times that I would get the three of us away from our monster of a father, but I had no clue how.

Despite that I tell him, "Soon."

Later that night, when I knew that everyone else was in a deep sleep, I grabbed my bag of art supplies and snuck out. The mid-autumn breeze fluttered across my skin as I made my way to the railyard that was about a fifteen-minute walk from my apartment. I felt my mind slowly relax as I walked down the nearly empty road. Even though what I do could be considered risky, it has always made me oddly calm. Once I was there I approached the side of the abandoned train that has moved from this spot in several years, searching for clean spot to work with.

I strolled past a few cars before finding one that was surprisingly blank. I grinned at the sight and placed my bag down in front of it, while allowing my mind to run wild with ideas. An idea for something space oriented popped up in my head and I kneeled down to unzip my bag and pull out some colors that I had in mind. Since the train car was an off-gray color I grabbed a can of black spray paint for the background.

When I was satisfied with the black cloud like shape that I had made, I put my now empty black can back into the bag before reaching in for another. I grabbed a magenta color and paused when I could have sworn I heard movement near me. My eyes searched the darkness for any sign that someone was around, which could be bad because this was illegal and I have nothing to protect myself with. After a few minutes, I began to think that I was just being paranoid, so I went back to work. I knew that the black at least had to be surface dry at this point, so spraying the other color along the black's edges wouldn't mess it up.

"What are you doing?" A male voice suddenly asks over my shoulder, startling me so much that I whipped around and sprayed the magenta across their black shirt.

Even in the dark I could tell who was standing there and it instantly irked me. "Josh, what the hell is your problem?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Skinny by Filter

"What's my problem? Why'd you spray me with pink?" He asked while surprisingly laughing.

"Well, I wasn't really expecting you to come sneaking up on me like that!" I retorted while capping my spray paint and chucking it back in my bag.

"I wasn't really trying to sneak up on you, you're basically in my backyard." He explains, gesturing to the house behind him and I saw that he was telling the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I murmur, wondering if he would try to say I was trespassing.

He smiled slightly shrugging, "It's alright, I just heard a weird hissing sound out here since I had my window open. I peeked out to see someone painting the train and wanted to check it out, I didn't think it would be you I'd find."

"Okay, well sorry for bugging you." I say as I turn to walk away.

"Hey, where are you going? Look, I'm sorry about scaring you so badly, you don't have to leave." He calls after me, jogging up behind me.

"I'm just going to head back home, it's super late anyway."

"So, what were you painting?" He asked as he continued to walk beside me.

It was my turn to shrug, "I'm not really sure yet, but it's going to have something to do with outer space."

"Oh, I love space!" He exclaims, causing me to actually grin.

"Same here."

"So, why did you decide to tag that old train?"

I rolled my eyes at his choice of words saying, "I'm not a tagger, and it's because that's all I have to work with."

"But what about canvases and stuff like that?"

I shook my head, "Can't afford them."

"Oh, that sucks."

I nod and then question, "So, are you just going to walk me home?"

Josh seemed to just now notice that we were well out of his backyard, but it apparently didn't bother him. "I guess so."

Even though I wasn't really willing to let someone outside of Ronnie see the shabby little apartment I live in, I couldn't come up with a way to make him head back. At the same time, it was nice to at least have some company. I've always been freaked out while taking my walks home after sneaking out, but having Josh humming to himself by my side dulled that a bit.

When we reached the stairs that lead to my place I turned to face him announcing, "So, this is where I leave you."

He nodded, "Have a goodnight, Cadence. I'll see you tomorrow."

I replied with a wave goodbye and when I got inside I peeked out of the window in my room to watch him stroll back down the dark street.

The next day a nagging worry remained in my head as I accompanied Quinn to school. I was fretting over whether or not Josh had made it back home alright.

"Everything alright, Cady?" Quinn asks, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You just seem really quiet."

I gave a small laugh, "I'm always that way."

"I know, but it's more so than usual."

I shrugged, "I just have a lot on my mind."

As we approached the school Quinn let out a long sigh, "I dread going in there so badly."

I patted his shoulder saying, "I know, just try your best to ignore them. Plus, if I see anyone bother you about it, I'll give them a shiner to match yours."

I was glad to see that got him to chuckle and sarcastically reply, "Sure, you will."

"Ah, I wouldn't doubt me so much if I were..." I trailed off for a second when I caught something in the line of my vision.

I spotted Josh standing on the passenger side of Tyler's car and I was relieved to see him in one piece. Both him and his best friend simply laughing over something, like he didn't have a care in the world. Quinn made an amused humming sound, immediately pulling my attention back to him.

"What?"

He grinned teasing, "I see you over there, checking out Josh Dun."

I scoffed, "I wasn't checking him out, besides how do you even know his name? He's three grades above you."

"It's only because of his wicked hot best friend Tyler Joseph." He explains as he shameless stares at the aforementioned boy adding, "If you get involved with Josh, make sure to send Tyler in my direction."

As we made our way inside the building I rolled my eyes and shoved him playfully, "Oh, stop it, he's too old for you. Also since when are you into the sporty type?"

"Ever since he came around. You have no room to talk anyway, Josh was in the basketball team in middle school. So, he's kind of athletic too."

"Oh my goodness, I don't like the guy like that." I insist and then question, "Wait a minute, how do you even know that about him?"

He smirked, "I have my ways."

At that Quinn waved at me as he made his way towards his classroom. I shook my head at my brother's silly and, at times, over the top behavior.

I was honestly relieved to find that Ronnie wasn't at my locker when I went to get my books. After yesterday I was pretty mad at her about what went down with Louis. I couldn't help but wonder if she had known that the person Louis had gotten suspended over was my brother. I stuffed my books in my bag, my mind still racing over the previous day. She must have known, because I remember her saying something about telling Louis to lay off of the person he ended up punching.

"Cady? You got a minute?" Ronnie asked warily as I took my seat in first period.

I glared up at her, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Josh had just then taken his seat. Despite the fact we were now going to have an audience my voice came out in a harsh tone, "What do you want?"

"Listen, I know you might be upset..."

I instantly cut her off snapping, "Of course I'm upset. You let your boyfriend hit Quinn, knowing that he's my brother. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I know, I know and I'm so sorry I let that happen. I was just too scared to get in the middle of it. Louis gets pretty out of control when he's upset."

"Trust me, I'm well aware of that." I mutter as I turn away from her.

"I know that it's terrible of me to ask this from you, but can you forgive me? I know that you guys have it hard enough at home as it is with..."

"Okay!" I hastily interrupt her. "Okay, I'll forgive you. I'm just going to need some space for a while."

"Thanks." She tells me in a small voice before heading over to her seat.

I glanced over at Josh to see if he had listened to any of that and the concerned expression on his face told me that he had. I could only hope that he wasn't trying to put it all together, he certainly wouldn't like what he'd find. I quickly looked away from him, but as soon as I did I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I hesitantly turned my attention back to him, stressing over what he could possible say.

"Do you have an extra pencil or something that I can borrow? I lost all of mine."

I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but held it back as I reached into my backpack to hand him one of the few pencils I have. He smiled at me as a thank you, causing me to involuntarily return the gesture. I was glad that the class was now starting to fill up and there would be no way for Ronnie or Josh to bug me. I reached down into my bag to get my algebra book out when out of nowhere my entire desk suddenly nearly fell over, but something caught it before I face planted the floor. I peered up to see that Josh was the one that had ahold of my desk and as he straightened me back up, he kept his dark eyes on something behind me.

"What's your problem, man?" Josh demanded as he let go of my desk.

I whipped my head around to see that it was of course Foster that had nearly knocked me onto the ground.

He rose an eyebrow at Josh casually asking, "Why does it matter to you?"

"Because you could have hurt her!" Josh tells him like it was the most obvious statement in the world.

"So? She deserved it."

That instantly made me go from irritated to pissed, I've been told that line enough as it is. That I deserve the things that I'm subjected to. I smirked as I said, "Well, then I guess you deserve this."

I swiftly punched Foster directly in the crotch, causing him to buckle to his knees. Even though he was on groaning in pain that didn't stop him from reaching to yank me down by my hair. I cried out as he slammed me to the ground and before I had time to react, Josh was yanking the other guy off of me. He shoved Foster into the other desks next to us, causing the other stunned students to hurry out of the way.

Everyone was yelling now, but they did nothing to stop any of this, until a much more threatening voice shouted over everyone else.

"What on earth is going on in here?!" Mrs. Harrison demanded. "You three! Office! Now!"

Foster struggled to get to his feet and Josh held his hand out to help me up. Once I was standing I followed them out of the room to the principal's office, still trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Foster had tried to knock me over, and then I hit him, he pulled down by my hair, and then... Josh helped me? Why had he even done that?

Things like this happened to me more than I'd like to admit, but no one had ever gotten involved to help me out of it. Josh always seemed like such a quiet, sweet dude. Was there more to him that I had gave him credit for?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Hush by Hellyeah

I did my best to ignore the stinging in the back of my head as Mrs. Harrison lead us through the hallway. I noticed that another class was pouring out of the computer lab and Tyler was among them.

As soon as he noticed Josh he weaved his way through the group towards his friend quietly asking, "Where are you guys heading to?"

"They are on their way to the office, Mr. Joseph." Mrs. Harrison states curtly. "I suggest you hurry back to your class."

Tyler's focus quickly went back to Josh after that. "Why? What happened?"

Josh appeared to be embarrassed as he explained, "Foster and I had a bit of a disagreement."

Tyler's eyebrows shot up. "Did you get in a fight?"

"Yeah, kind of?" He mumbled as he ran a hand through his curly hair.

"Let's get a move on." Mrs. Harrison called, sending them a pointed look.

I noticed that Tyler sent me his own irritated glance before heading off in the direction the rest of his classmates had went. On our way inside the office, I found myself worrying about Tyler's reaction. Did he blame me for Josh getting involved? It wasn't like I had asked for him to step in the way he did.

"Alright you three, just wait in here until your parents are called." Our teacher tells us and swiftly leaves us with the principal in his office.

Dread gripped me at her words, the only person they could probably call is my father. I knew that if the school actually managed to get a hold of him, I was basically good as dead. The principal, Mr. Garrett, began to question the guys, but I couldn't focus. I was too lost in my fretting over what my dad's response might be.

"Sir, their parents have been contacted and informed of the issue." The receptionist informs Mr. Garrett and leaves just as quickly after he thanks her.

So that must mean that he knows. I did my best to focus on keeping my internal panic off of my face as everyone else in the room spoke.

"Does that sound reasonable to you Miss Riggs?" Mr. Garrett questions and then quickly catches on to the fact that I hadn't heard him. He rolls his eyes. "Does a week's worth of detention sound like a suitable punishment for fighting in my school?"

"Yes, sir." I reply softly, ducking my head slightly to hide the fear that might be lingering in my eyes.

"Alright, well I'll have Ms. Goff take you all back to class." He says, waving us off as a form of dismissal.

I stay locked in my head for the rest of the school day, mulling through my fearful thoughts. By the time lunch rolled around my stomach had become so knotted up that I couldn't even consider accepting the apple Ronnie offered me off of her tray.

"You're going to be in for it when you get home, aren't you?" She asked in a hushed voice.

I only nodded in response.

"Do you want to just come stay over at my house for the night?"

I shook my head, "It'll just make it worse or he might take it out on Quinn."

Her face scrunched up in shock, "Would he really?"

"He's done it before."

Ronnie's expression softened into a much sadder one, "I don't know why you don't tell someone with the power to stop him."

"If I do something like that our whole family might be separated or put on the street. I'm not going to be responsible for that."

It seemed to be Ronnie's turn to shake her head. We fell silent after that, since none of the guys that usual sat at this table were around to fill it. I tried to use that time to prepare myself for what I knew was coming for me, but like always, I was never ready.

I made sure to fill Quinn in on what was most likely going to happen when we got home and of course, just like Ronnie, he begged me not to go home. I took in a deep breath as I reached the front door of our apartment and then held the air in as I opened it.

"There you are." My dad growled as soon as he saw me.

I hurried to step to the side once I made my way into the living room, making sure to give my brother enough space to hurry to his room. He would be safer there. The second my father rose to his feet Quinn rushed past us, just like I had hoped he would. I hated the moments when he decided that he should stand up for me, that only ever resulted in both of us getting hurt.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" He demanded, his voice gaining a bit more volume.

"I... I didn't mean for anything to happen. This kid came after me and..." I stumbled over my words at first, as I fruitlessly tried to explain the situation.

He moved closer to me, until he was towering over me. His hand shot out like a cobra strike, grabbing my forearm in his tight hold. "You just have a way of provoking people, don't you?"

I could feel myself already beginning to tremble as I mumbled, "I try not to."

"No, you fucking don't." He spat and I watched as his other hand started to lift into the air. "You're just a sad attention whore. You'll do anything for someone to notice you, even if it means them beating you. Well here, let me give you what you want."

"Please, don't..." Is all I could manage to get out before he swung at me and his fist slammed right into my mouth.

A burst of pain and watery eyes followed right after as I collapsed from the blow. I dangled in his hold since he still had a vice-like grip on my arm and all I could do was hang there sobbing.

"I didn't even hit you that hard." He muttered before tossing me to the floor.

As soon as he walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him, I shakily rose to my feet. I swallowed down the blood in my mouth as I hurried as fast as I could to my room, I didn't want him to think of another reason to hit me again by just lying there.

"Cady, what did he do?" Quinn asked through his barely opened door. I've always noticed that in the moments that we were being beaten his voice would gain an almost child-like quality.

I turned my face to my brother and watched his jaw drop. I don't know why he still has those sorts of reactions, this has happened too many times for it to be shocking anymore.

"Get in here, you're bleeding." He whispers and widens the gap in the door to allow me into his bedroom.

Quinn was quick to shut the door behind me as I examined my face in the mirror. I saw that my bottom lip was busted and already starting to swell.

I quietly sighed at the sight and muttered, "Well, I guess I won't be going back to school for a while."

He gave me a sad smile as he handed me a tissue to wipe the blood off of my chin and mouth. I moved my attention back to my reflection, wondering to myself just when this treatment would end or if it would end up killing me.

Quinn seemed to be able to tell what was on my mind as he tells me, "Don't worry, one day this will end for all us."

I pressed the bloody tissue over my cut. "I wish it would hurry up then."

The next morning, I accompanied Quinn on his walk to school, but I left him right at the entrance of the property. I tugged my hood down over my eyes and made sure to keep my head low as I made my way back to the rail yard. I knew that I was only going to have a short time here before I needed to bail, the sun was going to come up in at least a half an hour. I tossed my backpack down in front of the black blob I had painted on the train and swiftly got to work. I almost became so lost in what I was doing that I nearly didn't notice the sky gaining a grayish tint, but that wasn't what made me stop.

"Cadence? Is that you out there again?" I suddenly hear Josh call out from behind me.

I made sure to pull the bandana around my neck over my nose. Sometimes I would use it to keep the paint fumes out if they became too strong, Josh wouldn't know why I was actually covering my face.

I waved at him before asking, "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I caught a stomach bug, what's your excuse?" He questioned as he stepped out of his back door and made his way over to me.

I shrugged, "I just didn't feel like going."

He rose an eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it. Instead he turned to the progress I had made on the train car. "It's coming along great so far."

I gazed up at the several neon planets I had done and the white splatter flakes that were made to be stars. "Thanks."

"Joshua? Where are you?" A female voice called from inside his house.

I stiffened at the sound and Josh noticed it remarking, "Don't worry, my mom won't mind you painting the train. She's always complaining about how much of an eyesore it is."

Suddenly a dark headed woman that resembled Josh poked her head out the door, exclaiming, "There you are! What are you doing out there?"

"I'm just talking to a friend of mine!"

"Well tell them to come in then, don't make them just stand out there."

Josh's head whipped back in my direction. "What do you say?"

Right when I was going to make up some excuse about needing to leaving, he gave me this pleading look. I shrugged yet again and started for his home. Josh was quick to come along with me, somehow reminding me of an excited puppy as we went inside. As soon as I made eye contact with the woman I figured to be his mother, I internally panicked. She would probably question why I had this bandana over my face and if I took it off Josh would ask about my lip.

"Oh my, you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. They are such a stunning green." She remarks in an astonished tone.

"Thank you, ma'am." I reply softly.

She chuckled, "You can call me Laura, hun. So, what should I call you?"

"I'm Cadence, it's nice to meet you."

She smiled at Josh momentarily before asking me, "Are you the one that's been painting that train car out there?"

Despite my fear, I nodded.

"That is absolutely wonderful! Where did you learn to do something like that?"

"I taught myself."

"That's incredible! I'm sorry for being so dramatic, but I am so glad to see that thing get a bit of sprucing up." She states before looking at the clock on the way. "Alright, well I have to be heading out. Have a good day you too."

Laura grabbed her purse and right before she stepped out the front door she tells me, "It was nice to meet you, Cadence."

"You too, Laura."

After that, it was just Josh and me.

"Are you ever going to take that thing off?" Josh asked gesturing at the red cloth that was hiding my face.

I shook my head, "I'd rather not."

His head tilted slightly as his forehead scrunched up. "You got hit in another fight, didn't you?"

That was one of the few great things about people, they liked to assume the answers to their own questions. That always made all of this so much easier on me. I decided then to pull the bandana back down to my neck, exposing my now bruised and swollen mouth.

I smiled as best as I could without hurting myself saying, "Good guess."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Pretty Little Girl by Blink 182

Josh backed up into the counter at the sight of my face, but he quickly pushed himself off of it. When his hand reached up to touch my face, I involuntarily flinched away from him.

He frowned at my behavior murmuring, "I'm not going to hurt you."

His fingers felt slightly rough against my skin as he gently prodded at the bruising on my face.

"They must have hit you really hard." He mumbles and lowers his hand.

"Yeah, they did."

"Who was it?"

I waved it off. "I'd rather not talk about it."

The expression on his face appeared to be a mixture of confusion and irritation. "Why are you so secretive about everything?"

"I don't know, maybe because I barely know you?" I respond with a sarcastic edge to my voice.

His face fell at that and his voice took a gentler turn. "I'm sorry, I was just wanting to help somehow."

I let out a small huff of air. "I appreciate it, but you've already gotten involved with it enough at school. I don't want to bring you into an even bigger mess."

Josh seemed to able to swiftly catch on to the fact I didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he changed the subject. "So, were you planning on going anywhere else or would you like to just hang out here for a bit?"

I knew that the only other thing I could do in broad daylight is wander around the town and that could mean that someone might see me. If that happened and my dad found out about it, I would get an even harder beating, so staying with Josh was my safest bet.

"Sure, I'd like that."

He beamed at that. "Sick! What do you want to do then?"

I gave a small laugh, "Anything that doesn't involve a lot of movement."

"Well, since everyone is gone for the day, I was planning on practicing on playing my drums. You could come watch if you want."

"You know how to play the drums?"

He grinned sheepishly, "I'm working on it."

"Okay, let's do it."

He nodded his head, using it as a wordless gesture for me to follow him. As we made our way down the hallway, I peered at the photos on the walls. It was clear that Josh looked more like his dad, judging by the pictures of him. I also saw that he had three siblings, two girls and one boy. I only recognized one of them as a sophomore named Ashley. The other two clearly weren't old enough for high school.

Josh flipped on the light as we made our way down into the basement and I could see that a tiny drum kit was set up in the farthest corner. I decided to sit on the floor with my back against the wall. Now that I was close to the drums, I saw that they were worn down after being used so much. Either Josh had played these things nearly to the point of breaking or they were just really old. I patiently waited for him to get started, enjoying the calmness around me. I began wondering if it was always that way for him, if his house was usually this peaceful.

"What are you over there thinking about?" He asked as he sat down behind his instrument.

I shrugged, "I was just enjoying the quiet."

"Do you want me to skip playing then?" He asked, watching carefully for my answer.

I shook my head, "No, go ahead. I guess I should have reworded that. I was enjoying how laid-back it feels here."

That got him to smile. "School is a bit chaotic for you, isn't it?"

I nodded in agreement, muttering, "It certainly can be."

Josh adjusted his cymbal as he questioned, "So, why do you even hang out with that crowd?"

I thought about it for a minute, I guess telling him a part of the truth couldn't hurt anything. Most of them hated me as it is, so it probably wouldn't bother them in the least bit.

"I just want to make sure that nothing bad happens to Ronnie. She's more friends with them, than I'd ever want to be. I tolerate them because I want to keep my best friend safe."

Josh seemed to be taking a moment to process what I had just told him. "How do you and Ronnie become friends though? It doesn't seem like you two should get along."

"We've been friends since the second grade, believe it or not she used to be a lot different. I can't find it in me to turn my back on her just because of the other people she surrounds herself with."

"The only person I'm that close to is Tyler, so I guess I can understand where you're coming from."

When I gave him a silent nod, he took it as a sign that he could begin practicing. As I watched him drum, I took note of the focus in his deep brown eyes. Even during the few times he seemed to lose track of the beat, his expression remained determined. It was almost mesmerizing to see the fluidity in his movements. I could tell that this was how he spoke without speaking. Some people write about their problems and their triumphs, then there are those like Josh and me. I paint mine on walls and Josh plays music.

Twenty or so minutes later, he decided to call it quits.

"Alright, I think that will do it for today." He announces using his drumstick to stretch out his arms.

"You're pretty good." I point out.

He let out a shy chuckle, "Thanks."

Josh put away his drumsticks before walking over to where I sat and plopped down next to me with a grin.

"So," He began, wiping the sweat off of his face before continuing, "what do we do now?"

Before I had a chance to respond, my stomach gurgled slightly.

Thankfully before my embarrassment could take over Josh remarked, "I'm thinking that we should get something to eat. How about you?"

"I'm up for it." I agree as I get to my feet.

"How does Taco Bell sound?"

"But aren't you still sick to your stomach?"

"I'm never too sick for TB."

That got to me to actually laugh and unfortunately that hurt my mouth because of it. I did my best to ignore the pain as I said, "Alright, it's your call."

"Time to take this show on the road!" He shouted as he jumped up.

As I followed him back upstairs, I came to the conclusion that Josh is basically an oversized child. I was glad to see that he had his own car, which meant it would make it less likely for someone to spot me. On our way to get food, Josh turned on the radio and I could have sworn I saw his cheeks turn pink when Blink 182's song 'Pretty Little Girl' came on.

"So, what were you wanting to get?" Josh asked as we pulled into Taco Bell.

"I was think about getting a chalupa."

He nodded in approval murmuring, "I can manage that."

"No, it's fine! I've got it covered." I blurt out as I rummaged through my backpack for what little money I had managed to gather up.

Out of nowhere Josh's hand reached out to rest over mine as he said, "You can pay me back later."

I sighed softly, "Alright."

I felt him squeeze my hand gently before letting go and then he went on to ask, "What do you want to drink?"

After Josh had purchased our meals, he tells me that he's going to take us somewhere else to park while we eat. I hated to have the thought, but I was slightly worried about where we could be going. I didn't really know Josh all that well and yet here I was trusting him not to do something horrible to me. I didn't want to have those thoughts, but after all the things I've seen, it's difficult not to.

I wanted to let out a breath of relief when we ended up at the skate park and not somewhere that I was unfamiliar with. I was also pleased to see that the place was empty of anyone else, so that no one would be able to see the condition my face was in.

Josh put the car in park telling me, "Let's sit out there."

We ended up sitting on the rim of the skate bowl, eating in silence. So far that has been the nicest part about being in Josh's company, he doesn't feel the need to fill up the quiet, he just enjoys it.

When we finished up Josh finally spoke up, "We should paint something out here."

I could tell by his expression and tone that he was kidding around, but I decided that I liked the idea. I lifted myself up and told him that I would be right back as I went to retrieve my backpack. He seemed astonished when I dropped my bag down beside him, causing several half empty cans to clank around.

"Where did you have in mind?" I questioned as I unzipped the backpack.

He laughed as he grabbed a can of bright green and then scooted himself until he slid down into the bowl. I slung my bag over my shoulder and did the same. I hurried to catch up with him as he made his way over to the huge drain pipe that the owners had recently added. While we walked through the dim light I spotted some of the things I had painted inside, remembering the nights I had come here until I was nearly caught once. That memory caused me to be a little fearful, I didn't want to get Josh in trouble.

"Hey, it might not be a good idea to do this here." I point out as we reach the end of the tunnel.

"Yeah, I know. We're not going to put anything in the park."

I was confused as he ran up the side of the ramp, but I wanted to find out what he meant, so I attempted to do the same thing. I managed to slip in the process and ground my knee into the concrete. I hissed at the burn as it scrapped up my kneecap.

"Are you okay?" He questioned concern taking over his features.

I nodded peering down at my leg, "It's not that bad."

"Here." He calls, holding his hand out to me.

I take it and he helps me climb out before I have a chance to hurt myself more. I release his hand as soon as I'm on level ground and then we continue to head in the direction he was going for. We ended up at the nearby overpass, it was something that I had always found strange. The cars drove on the top part while a train track resided behind it. The plant life that had taken the rest of the area over and roar of the cars above us gave this area an almost forbidden feeling.

"This is a good place." Josh remarks while pointing at the barren cement wall that held up the overpass.

The idea of painting on an untouched space was always an exciting one, so I had to agree with him. I watched him uncap the spray paint and shake it vigorously before starting to paint. My curiosity was finally sated when I saw what he had made, a medium size alien head.

"Your turn." He states with a smile.

I place my backpack on the ground as I try to decide on what color I wanted to use. I ended up picking the simplest one, white. I strolled up to the wall, choosing to put my drawing close to his. I sprayed on a crescent moon, leaving the inside hollow.

"I like it, they complement each other." He points out and then heads back over to my bag to pull out a couple more spray cans. "But I think we should add a bit more."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Dance Inside by The All American Rejects

By the time we were both satisfied with our work, our fingers were stained with a multitude of colors. The wall was now a collage of outer space related paintings.

"It's almost like a peek at the night sky during the day." I joke getting him to grin.

"Speaking of that, what time do you think it's gotten to be?"

"It's at least time for school to be out."

"Do you think we should head back then? Just so my mom doesn't freak out about me not being in the house while I'm sick."

"Does she get home around this time?" I ask as I gather up my things.

"No, but Tyler will probably be over there and I don't want to risk him mentioning it to her."

I nodded in understanding. "Alright, well let's head back then."

When we arrived back at Josh's house I saw that he was right, because Tyler's car was parked in the driveway while he sat out on the front porch.

"He's going to kill us, isn't he?" I ask as I unbuckle my seatbelt.

"It's possible." Josh admits.

As soon as Josh opened his door, Tyler's head perked up and a look of surprise mixed with irritation took over his face. It only got worse when I got out of the car as well.

"Where have you been?" He demanded getting to his feet.

Josh gave him a sheepish smile mumbling, "I just really wanted Taco Bell."

Tyler rolled his eyes, smiling slightly before he glanced over at me, his face falling. "What happened to your mouth?"

I was a bit shocked to hear genuine concern in his voice and I mentally cursed myself for forgetting to cover back up my busted lip. I shrugged it off, "I got in another fight."

"What about your knee? That looks more recent."

"Oh, I skinned it earlier on accident."

"I can't tell if your luck is really that bad or if you do it to yourself."

I smirked, "I'd say it's a bit of both."

"So, how was school?" Josh cut in, thankfully changing the subject.

"It was alright, Louis is going to be really mad when he gets back from suspension."

"Why's that?" I ask.

"I told coach about what you said about him having a drug problem, so now Louis is going to have to take a drug test."

"Gee, Tyler you weren't kidding." I say with a laugh.

"Well, of course, that kind of thing can't just be left alone. It could really hurt him in the long run."

Yet again Tyler surprised me, he was doing this because he wanted to help Louis, not just to protect his sport. Then suddenly something struck me, I needed to be walking Quinn home.

"Um, I know this is terrible of me to ask, but could one of you give me a ride up to school? I have to get my brother."

"Sure, it's a not a problem at all." Josh tells me, but Tyler shakes his head.

I worry that he's going to say he can't, but that isn't what he says, "Oh no, you aren't driving anymore today. I'll take her."

Josh gave him a puppy dog pout, begging, "Can I come? Please?"

Tyler sighed, "Sure, let's get going."

I made sure to thank Tyler several times as he drove us back to the school and I was so relieved to see that Quinn had only managed to make it half way down the street.

"Okay, you can just drop me off here." I tell Tyler as soon as I spot my brother.

"I can drive you guys home if you want." He suggests.

"Are you sure?"

"I might as well."

The second I agree, he drives up beside Quinn and I roll down the window calling out to him, "Hey, Quinn? You want to catch a ride home?"

As soon as he saw that Tyler was the one driving, he ran right over to the car. When he was finally sitting in the back beside me he urgently mouthed, "How did you manage this?"

I simply gave him a small shrug and I couldn't help smiling at his giddy behavior.

"Thank you for the ride." Quinn tells Tyler in a sweet, shy voice.

I rolled my eyes as I continued to smile over his actions, but the smile Tyler sent him in return surprised me. It was clear that he was fonder of my brother than he was me.

"So, where did you go today?" Quinn asked me, still glancing to the front at Tyler.

"I hung out with Josh." I tell him honestly.

When we pulled up in front of our apartment complex we said quick goodbyes to one another. Quinn and I glance at each other as we reach the front door, silently wondering what mood our father was going to be in today. I step forward and pull open the door to find that the apartment appeared to be empty. I heard Quinn let out a sigh of relief behind me and I was only able to relax when I had checked all the rooms to find out that neither of our parents were home.

I decided to busy myself with making dinner. It was just in case he was to walk through the door and try to get angry about us not doing anything. I searched the nearly barren cabinets, finding pasta and sauce. I guess we were having spaghetti yet again. While I was in the middle filling a pot with water Quinn came into the room, taking a seat at the table as he watched me work in silence for a moment.

"So, are you and Josh a thing now or something?" He asks like it's the most casual thing in the world.

I swiftly take my focus of the stove to shake my head and say, "No? Geez, can I not be friends with the guy?"

He grinned pointing out, "Getting defensive, aren't we?"

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to making dinner muttering, "I know better than to get involved with a guy like him."

"Why do you say that? Josh is super nice and he seems like a great dude all around."

"That's exactly why I won't. He's too good for me and he doesn't need to get mixed up into this mess we are in. The less people, the better."

Quinn suddenly appeared beside me. "You do like him, don't you?"

I sighed, "Not in the way you're thinking, but yeah he's one of the kindest people at our school. I guess you could say that I'm fond of him because of it."

His smile took a less mischievous appearance as he tells me, "I'm glad someone is treating you well for once."

His statement struck me and I had to blink back tears as I broke the noodles into halves. Quinn reached for the jar of sauce and began to help me prepare dinner. The only sound in the apartment was the sound of boiling water and it was so foreign to me to actually feel a moment of calm here. The moment I heard the front door unlocking, I held my breath while a million possibilities flashes through my mind of what could be coming.

I trained my gaze on the stove top in front of me, waiting for a voice.

"Hey mom." Quinn calls from beside me and I lift my head to find her entering the kitchen, wearing her ever-present expression of exhaustion.

She waved at my brother as she sat down at the tiny table remarking, "It smells good in here."

"We're having spaghetti again." I murmur as I stirred the pasta.

She ran a hand through her wispy blonde hair, "I'm sorry that's all we can manage to afford right now guys. I'll try to ask my boss if he can get me some more hours."

"It's fine." Quinn and I say at the same time. We both knew how hard our mother was working.

She gave us both a tired smile before getting up to pull us into her arm's murmuring, "You too are the best kids anyone could ever ask for. I love you both so much."

"I love you too." My brother and I say at the same time as we hug her back.

"I'll find a way to make this work out better for all of us."

Before anything else could be said, the sound of the front down had all of our faces falling. We knew exactly what was about to come in after us.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Underneath This Smile by Hilary Duff

I decided that it was safe to head back to school when the cut on my lip was nothing more than a thin line. I knew that the chances of anyone, other than teachers, asking questions about it would be slim, but I wasn't willing to take any risks. Quinn was clearly pleased when I didn't keep walking when we reached the school. I was glad to see him grin and wave at me before making his way into his classroom, causing me to hope that his good mood would last him for the rest of his day.

My own smile died when I saw a nervous looking Ronnie waiting beside my locker with an obviously pissed Louis leaning against the metal. I stopped in my tracks at the sight, it was easy to see that I was the one he was upset with.

"Nice of you to finally show back up, Cady." He says in a low tone.

"I'm glad to see that you're back too." I tell him, sarcasm heavy in my voice.

"So, would you mind telling me why the fuck you told my coach that I was into drugs? Do you have a fucking death wish or something?" He demanded as he charged over at me, making me retreat back several steps.

"I didn't tell him anything. I've never talked to the guy."

"Bullshit! The rest of the team told me that you had told Tyler! I got kicked off of the team because of you, you bitch!"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe the reason you were kicked off was to give you a wakeup call? That maybe they don't want you to wind up dead from what you do?" I questioned as my voice grew louder.

"That's no one's damn business! Especially yours!" He shouts in my face.

We were now getting a lot of people's attention with our yelling, causing a small crowd to form around us. Louis was notorious for getting into fights and gender didn't matter to him. If you pissed him off, you were probably going to get beat up.

"I guess you're right, so you both can leave me out of it then." I agree coldly and attempt to make my way through the crowd.

"Hold up, I'm not fucking done with you!" He barks and yanks me back by the strap of my bag.

Suddenly I'm pushed, but not with the force that I would have expected. I quickly turn around to see Tyler standing between me and Louis.

"That's enough." Tyler tells him, holding his hands out in front of him.

"Stay the hell out of this." Louis growls.

"If you ever want to get back on the team, I suggest you listen to me."

Louis' jaw tightens like he's about to say something else, but he just storms off instead. The people that had been watching quickly dispersed since it was clear that a fight wasn't going to happen. When everyone went back to what they had been doing before, Tyler turned his focus to me.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded, "Thanks for helping me out."

"It's not a problem, I'm just tired of Louis messing with you and your brother."

"So, where's Josh?" I ask as we begin walking down the hall.

"He overslept, but he should be here soon."

I gave another nod before remarking, "You know, I kind of had the feeling that you didn't like me, but now I don't know what to think."

"I wasn't sure about you at first, but it's becoming clear that a lot of the stuff I've heard about you seems to be out of your control."

I rose an eyebrow asking, "What have you heard?"

He lightly shrugged, "Well, of course I heard that you get into a lot of fights, but that just seems to be because you have a tendency to hang out with jerks, no offense."

"It's okay, it's definitely true."

"Josh told me that the only reason you hang around that crowd is to make sure your friend Ronnie is safe, so I get it."

I let out a dry laugh, "I guess you just saw how much she's willing to return the favor. Some friend."

His eyebrows shot up, "That girl with him was Ronnie? Geez, maybe you should just stick with me and Josh as friends."

I smiled at that, glad that Tyler was considering to call me his friend. "I think I might just do that."

His owns smile falters as he lowers his voice, "I also happen to know about what really happened at Travis's party last year."

I felt all the color drain out of my face as I shook my head, "Everyone thinks they do, but trust me when I say that the rumors are far from true."

He cut me off, "My other best friend is Jenna Black. She told me what you did."

"She-she did?" I stammered as I stopped in my tracks.

"As soon as she had run off from all of that, she went right to my house since I'm just across the street from Travis. She told me exactly what had happened in that garage and made me promise not to tell anyone else."

"Why would she do that?"

He ran a hand through his hair saying, "She said that she knew no one would believe her anyway and she was too scared to say anything against them."

I let out a heavy sigh, "I get that."

The bell for class rang before anything else could be said, so Tyler and I had to tell each other a quick goodbye. Tyler's mention of that party stayed on my mind the whole way to Algebra, but the sight of Josh waving at me as soon as he saw me distracted me. I couldn't resist grinning at him as I moved to sit in my desk.

"Good morning, Cadence." He greets me with a bright smile, causing the corners of his eyes to crinkle slightly. "How's your day going so far?"

I shrugged, "I've had better. How about you?"

"Pretty good..."

A much louder voice spoke up as it approached. I saw that it belonged to Foster. "Cady, why can't you mind your own business for once? For fuck's sake I know that you're desperate for people to notice you, so you don't feel like such a waste of space, but seriously? Did you have to pull Louis into it?"

"That's enough, Mr. Whilton." Mrs. Harrison scolds as she steps in the room.

The room quickly hushes and Foster wordlessly takes his seat. It seems he had said all that he had wanted. I did my best to avoid eye contact with everyone around me as I grabbed my math book. They had to be wondering what had happened this time. I didn't want to see the looks they would most likely give me, the accusations in their gazes. As if they had already had it figured out in their heads.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Josh seemed to be doodling something instead of paying attention, which was odd of him. When he finished with whatever he had been drawing, he tucked it underneath his notebook and began doing the assignment that was wrote out on the board.

The moment we were dismissed from class he pulled the paper back out and hastily stuffed it into my book. I saw that his cheeks had a pink tint as he sent me a smile and hurried out of the classroom. I decided to wait until the rest of our classmates had left before pulling the paper out.

I slid the note out to find a drawing of several planets and space ships along with the words 'YOU AREN'T A WASTE OF SPACE'.

My eyes became a bit blurry over how touching his note was to me. I glanced up from the doodle to find Mrs. Harrison watching me with a knowing smile, making me blush slightly as I put the piece of paper into my pocket.

After school had let out, I decided that I wanted to thank Josh for his kind gesture and Quinn was ecstatic about the idea.

"I can't wait to see this." He repeats for nearly the fifth time since I mentioned it and showed him the drawing.

"Why are you so excited? This isn't even that big of a deal."

"To you it might not be, but for me this just brings me that much closer to having a chance with Tyler."

I simply rolled my eyes at that and a moment later I found Josh standing outside at the front of the school. It quickly dawned on me that Tyler was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's your best friend?" I ask as I approach him.

"Probably on his way home right now. My mom has to pick me up today since my little sister Abby has some sort of play going on at her school later."

"Oh okay, well the reason I'm here is because I wanted to thank you for the drawing. I really appreciated it."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Josh pulled me into a hug murmuring, "I really meant it."

I hesitantly returned the embrace, trying my hardest to ignore just how good he smelled and how nice this felt. Some else caught my attention as a white car pulled up behind us and the window rolled down to reveal Josh's mom.

"Joshua, hon! We need to be hurrying!" She calls out and he hesitates for a moment before letting me go.

When he made his way to the car I faintly heard her ask, "Is that Cadence?"

A second later she starts beaconing me over to the car, "Cadence, dear? Would you mind coming over here for a minute?"

I did as she asked, leaning over to peer into the car after Josh had gotten in. "Yes, ma'am?"

She simply smiled at me for a moment before asking, "I know this might sound silly to you, but would you be willing to come over and paint our basement?"

Josh seemed to notice the slight confusion on my face as he adds, "We're trying to teach Abby how to do laundry and she says that the basement scares her, so we thought if we could somehow make it more inviting she would be more willing to go down there."

"We'll pay you for the trouble of course. So, what do you say?"

I nodded, "Sure, I'd love to."

"So, would you like to start this Saturday?" Laura questions with an excited expression on her face.

"Sounds good to me."

"Wonderful! I'll be waiting to see your lovely face again this weekend." She tells me with a wave and then begins to pull away.

Josh waved goodbye to me as they left the parking lot and Quinn rushed over to my side asking, "So, I'm guessing if I need you anymore I should check with the Dun's first?"

I smiled as I shook my head at him muttering, "Oh, hush."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Air Cather by Twenty One Pilots

It was such a strange feeling to trade out my school books for spray paint cans in the daylight. I did my best to be quiet as I pulled my things out from under the bed. My fingers brushed over the bag in the far corner, hating just how empty it felt. The small amount of money that resided inside of it was my escape plan; it was all that I knew that could get us away from my dad. I let out a tiny sigh as I went back to getting my things together.

I found myself silently begging that my dad would be asleep or just wouldn't notice me as I made my way down the hall. I was glad that Quinn was over at his friend Jason's house, so I wouldn't have to worry about him while I'm gone. I mentally cursed when I saw that my dad was awake in the living room and I held my breath when his eyes met mine.

"Where are you going?" He questions and even though it sounds innocent enough, I still felt on edge.

"I'm heading over to Ronnie's to work on a project that we have to do." I lie as smoothly as I can.

He thankfully just nods and turns his attention back to the TV.

Once I was out of sight of the apartment I felt some of the tension in my body subside. The trip to Josh's house had me feeling oddly nervous and it wasn't over the contents of my backpack. I wondered what the rest of his family would be like. I worried that his dad might be like mine. I did my best to push my thoughts aside as I inhaled deeply before approaching his front door and giving it a few hesitant knocks.

I was relieved that Josh was the one to open up, but at the same time I hated how the sight of his grin made my heart race for a split second.

"Hey there." He greets me and steps aside to let me in.

I moved inside murmuring, "Hey."

"Mom! Cadence is here!" Josh called at the same moment I noticed his little sister sitting in front of the TV smiling at me.

"Abigail, don't sit so close. It'll ruin your eyes, hun." Laura softly chides the red headed girl as she steps in the room.

Abigail scoots away from the television questioning, "Is she the one that supposed to paint the basement?"

"Yes, dear."

"And she gets to have all of that paint stuff?" She asks with hints of disappointment on her face.

"Well, there goes the surprise." Josh mutters while shaking his head, but his smile remained.

I turned my attention back to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Just follow her." He simply tells me, motioning in his mom's direction.

The three of us head into the kitchen and on the table are heaps of art supplies. Multiple tubes of all sorts of paint were laid out in rows, along with different sized brushes. It was almost overwhelming.

It took me a moment to find my voice as I murmur, "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"We figured you would appreciate working with more than just spray paint." Laura explains as I pick up the wooden palette to my left. "Well, let's get all of this down to the basement. Joshua, give me a hand please."

Josh and his mother began scooping up the painting utensils and heading down to the basement.

"Come on then." Josh nods his head in the direction of the staircase for me to follow them.

Even though I've been down here with Josh before, I was trying my best to see this basement through the eyes of an eight year old. It wasn't hard for me to figure out why Abby was afraid to be in here by herself, it was a bit creepy. The florescent lighting was harsh and washed all the color that might have been in this room. The bare concrete floor looked cold and unforgiving, this place was truly in desperate need of some color.

"So, I was thinking that this wall would be the best one to work with, but you can do whatever you want down here." Laura tells me as they set all of the things in their arms in front the barren wall across from the laundry machines. She straightened back up with a smile saying, "Alright, well I'll leave you to it then."

Laura quickly made her way back upstairs and Josh finished up with putting down the rest of the paint supplies. I watched him as he straightened everything out in rows so it wasn't all just a giant pile of stuff.

When he noticed me watching, he swiftly straightened up asking, "Do you need to be alone?"

I smiled as I shook my head no. "You can stay if you want."

"So, do you have anything in mind on what you're going to paint?"

"Well, the first thing I need to do is clean up this wall." I explain as I gesture to the streaky state the wall must have built up from being underground.

I had always heard that basements were notorious for collecting water, but it was strange to see the results in person. I have only ever lived in that run-down little apartment my whole life, so this was a new thing to me. I reached for the paint pan and grabbed the gallon of white primer paint. Josh popped off the lid for me as I reached for a stir stick and a roller.

"Let's get this started." I murmur as I pour the paint into the metal pan.

It ended up taking a good twenty minutes to cover the entire wall with Josh's help, but I had to admit he had done a pretty good job.

"Now what?" He asked sounding a bit tired as he wiped his forehead, smearing a little streak of paint above his eyebrow.

I chuckled at the sight and he rose his eyebrow, only making it worse.

"What's so funny?"

"You've got paint on your face." I point out.

"Where?" He questioned, reaching up to touch his cheek and got paint there too.

"Stop, you're getting it all over you now."

He surprises me by taking the same hand and swiping his finger tip across my cheek. "There you go, we match now."

I glanced down and out of my peripheral vision I spotted stark white on my skin. I let out another laugh, "Really? Was that necessary?"

"I thought so." He tells me with a smirk. "So, what is there to do next?"

"Well, we should let that dry overnight and I'll try to work on it tomorrow."

"I guess I'll be seeing you then."

I nodded and moved towards the staircase, but before I went up I turned back to Josh. "By the way, thank you for all this."

He waved it off with a grin, "Don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow, Cadence."

"Bye." I softly say before hurrying up the steps.

I said a quick goodbye to Laura and Abby before making my way home. As much I wanted to just say that I dreaded leaving Josh's because it meant that I was going back to where my dad was, I had a feeling that it wasn't just that. Regardless, I brushed the thought aside as I continued on.

The first thing that caught my attention when I made it back to the apartment was how quiet it was, that never meant anything good unless this place was empty. My eyes scanned the tiny living room and nothing appeared to be out of place. Nothing was broken for once. I cautiously checked the kitchen to find it empty as well. I padded back to Quinn's room, letting out a breath of relief that it didn't seem like he had made it back from his friend's house yet. I peeked into my parent's room, finding my mom napping peacefully.

Something wasn't right, I could feel it in every nerve in my body. Where the hell was my dad? The bathroom door was wide open and empty inside, so the only place left was my own room. I could hear the pulse behind my ears as I worried that he might have found the small amount of money I had hidden. Without it, my plan would be pushed back by months and that was the last thing I needed.

My hand shook as I reached for the door handle. Fear rattled my brain, making it difficult for me to think straight. I pushed the door open at a snail's pace, waiting to see what would be on the other side. There on my bed was my younger brother, adding money to my secret stash.

I let out a sigh of relief before asking, "Where did you get that?"

"I had helped Jason and his dad with yard work. He gave me five bucks for it."

I shook my head, "You don't have to give me your money. Keep it for yourself."

"I'm not giving it to you, I'm helping with the 'get out of hell' fund."

"But we could use it for food." I argue regardless.

"I took care of that already."

I rose an eyebrow in confusion at that.

He got up and gestured for me to follow him into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and handed me a plate of cling wrap covered food explaining, "Jason's sister had a stomach bug and she couldn't eat, so they had a lot of left overs and made me take some home."

"Have you eaten?" I question before even considering taking the offering.

"Of course, I have." He says and lifts up his shirt to show the lump he gained in his belly from all the food he must have eaten.

"What about mom?"

He nodded and gestured to the empty paper plate in the trash can. Only then did I take the plate from him with a thank you. I decided to just eat it cold because I didn't know when my dad would be getting back, so I knew that I needed to consume this as fast as possible.

Quinn made a face muttering, "You're gross."

He handed me a glass of water from the sink and after I took a long sip I asked, "Where is dad?"

"Mom said that he said something about going to get more cigarettes."

I was half way through my meal when I heard the key sliding into the lock of the front door. Quinn and I were on our feet like the chairs we had just been in had suddenly burst into flames. I rushed to stuff the plate as far down into the trash as I could before heading for my room. Quinn sent me a nod before he went to hide in his own room.

"Cady? You back yet?" I hear him call and I can't decode what mood he's in from his tone of voice, which usually isn't a good thing.

I knew better than to make him wait, so I proceeded back into the living room. I found him standing next to the coffee table, lighting a cigarette.

"So, I ran into Tori at the gas station." He remarks in a casual tone, but I knew that it meant much more. Tori is Ronnie's mom. "And do you know what she told me? She said that you and her daughter weren't together. That she was out with her boyfriend Louis all day."

My lips parted slightly, failing to try to come up with some sort of excuse.

He lunged at me, fisting the hair at the back of my head. Smoke escaped his mouth as he hissed, "Where the fuck have you been?"

"I just... I just went to library instead. I had forgotten that... that she had canceled." I stuttered as his grip only tightened.

"Then what's that shit on your face?"

I then suddenly remembered the paint on my cheek, part of me silently cursed Josh. The rational part of me knew that I couldn't blame him. Since when do people usually get beaten over having paint on them?

"Paint, it was an art project."

He threw me to the ground barking, "Stop fucking lying to me. I'm sick of your shit, get out of my sight."

I shakily lifted myself from off the floor and scurried back to my room. My arm ached as I curled up on my bed, hoping that sleep would take me before the tears came. Sadly, it didn't.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song:
> 
> Adore by Paramore

I had hardly slept the night before and it wasn't just because I was afraid of getting caught going back to Josh's. I had a plan this time. As long as I left the apartment two hours before my dad was supposed to get up for work, I should be alright. I grabbed my bag off of the floor and snuck to my door. I glanced over at my parent's door, finding it shut. I let out a tiny breath of relief, at least it gave me a bit of an advantage.

I drifted down the hall, trying my best to stay in the middle of the floor to keep it from squeaking. Once I reached the living room I almost cursed out loud. In the recliner, my father slept with his mouth wide open. I peered at the front door, wondering if I could manage to sneak out. I decided to take the risk and inched across the living room floor. When I made it to the door, I reached up to slowly unlock the door. I managed to get the door open several inches before I heard movement behind me.

"Where are you heading to this early?" My father asked as he lit a cigarette and got to his feet.

My brain scrambled for an excuse, but all I managed to come up with was, "I was just going to go for a walk."

"What do you need your backpack for?" He questioned as he approached me.

"It's in case I need anything out of it." I explain as I scoot out the door ever so slightly.

"What do you have in there?" He asked as he snatched the strap of my bag.

Thankfully I had both of the straps on my shoulders, so he couldn't take it from me. It wasn't a secret that this must have irritated him because he attempted to turn me around so he could get a better hold on me. In the process, his lit cigarette remained dangling in his left hand, so when I managed to wriggle out of his arms the burning end hit the back of my hand. I let out a yelp of pain, but I didn't waste any time running down the staircase now that he had lost his grip on me.

"Cady, you little bitch, get back here!" He growled as he clambered down the steps after me.

I surprised myself as I lifted my body onto the railing of the last set of stairs and jumped over onto the pavement below. Even though I landed in a crouched position, shocks of pain ran up my legs. I ignored my limbs protest as I sprung back to my feet and sprinted out of the parking lot. I didn't risk turning around to see if he was still following me, but when I heard his heavy panting fading away I knew that he was giving up on me.

"You just wait until you come back home, little girl!" He shouted.

I felt a wave of dread wash over me, knowing what that meant. I didn't stop running until I reached the skate park and found my way back to the place Josh and I covered in space designs. I sat down among the tall grass, watching it sway in the dim light of the rising sun. Despite my fear of what is going to happen when I have to go back to that apartment, my mind seemed to be preoccupied with other things at the same time. Things that I certainly didn't want to own up to.

I scooted backwards until I was against the cement wall, shutting my eyes as I enjoyed the silence around me. I felt myself begin to drift off thanks to my exhaustion and before I had a chance to fight it off, sleep took me under.

Sometime later I awoke with a gasp from the ground trembling underneath me. I instantly began to panic, thinking that it was an earthquake. I hopped to my feet and then there was the piercing sound of the train whistle just off in the distance. I let out a breath of relief as I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the area. Several people that were hanging out in the skate park gave me puzzled looks as I walked past, probably wondering where I had come from.

I dug through my backpack, seeking out the old wristwatch I had found in the lost and found one day. When I pulled it out I saw that it was three in the afternoon I decided that it would be alright for me to head over to Josh's.

When I reached the house, I was surprised to see the whole family piling out of a maroon van. Josh was the first to get out and I noticed that he was dressed up. He had on a light blue button up shirt and black dress slacks. His usually messy curly hair was styled neatly on his head and as much as I didn't want to admit it, he did clean up well.

When he spotted me, a bright smile sprung up on his face. "Hey Cadence!"

"Hey, what are you all dressed up for?" I asked as I approached him.

"We just got back from church!" Abby announced as she hopped out of the vehicle. "Are you going to paint more today?"

"I plan on it. Actually, I was wanting to ask you, what would you like to see on the wall?"

She pondered over it for a long minute as the rest of her family got out of the car. Abby gazed at the area around her, like she could find some inspiration there. Her eyes suddenly blew wide as she raced across the yard and pulled a dandelion from ground.

"Flowers!" She cheered as she ran back to me to hand me the yellow flower.

I nodded, "I'll make sure you have your own secret garden in that basement then."

Abby's smile became wider at that and her eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously. She surprised me by hugging my waist tightly before hurrying inside after her siblings.

"Joshua, dear?" Laura called as she leaned out of the van and when she saw that she had his attention she continued, "Would you mind if your father and I went to the grocery store for a bit? I need to pick up a few things for dinner."

"Go ahead."

She thanked him and climbed back into the car, waving at us as she pulled back out of the driveway. In the passenger seat sat Josh's father, sending us a smile and wave as well. I almost felt guilty for the tiny spike of fear I got from it. I have to remind myself that not everyone's dad is like mine.

Josh's chuckling brought me back into focus as he gently took the flower from my hand remarking, "Abby would pick something super complicated for you to work with, but I have complete faith that you'll make it look wonderful."

I smiled and when I was about to say thank you, he stunned me into silence by taking the dandelion and tucking the stem behind my ear. He grinned and motioned for me to follow him into the house. I silently willed the redness in my cheeks to go away, but that only managed to make me blush even more.

When I stepped inside I saw Ashley wave Josh into the kitchen. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." He tells her with a nod before turning to me to say, "You can head down there if you want."

"Alright." I murmur and make my way down the hall.

I paused right on the staircase when I heard his sister say my name.

"How could you and mom let her in the house?"

"What do you mean?" Josh questioned sounding genuinely confused.

"Have you not heard what everyone says about her at school? Or seen the people she hangs out with?"

"Don't you know better than to listen to rumors?" He retorted.

"I'm pretty certain that the stories about how she sleeps around aren't a lie, there are too many of them." She argues and then adds, "I didn't know you hung around with girls like that."

I heard Josh make a noise of disgust as he growls at her, "Shut your mouth."

As soon as I heard the sound of footsteps approaching I hurried down the stairs before I could be caught eavesdropping. My hands shook as I sifted through the tubes of paint of the floor. I paused and took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I guess another one of Travis and Louis's nasty lies still lived on.

I picked up the green and the palette, planning on working on the stems and greenery. I grabbed the yellow tube, aiming to mix a bit of it with the green to lighten it up in certain places.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Josh asked as he sat next to me.

"Stems." I simply say as I put a small amount of paint on the palette.

"You already have an idea of what you're going to be making?"

I shrugged, "A vague one."

I dipped a thin brush into the paint and gazed at the wall, trying to figure out where I wanted to begin. My thoughts wouldn't let me focus, they kept replaying Ashley's words. I worried that it might change how Josh thinks of me, that I would somehow lose his friendship from it.

"You okay?" He asks after I don't move for a solid minute.

I knew better than to let him know what was bothering me. He didn't need to know that I had overheard them. He might get mad at me for it. I swiped the brush against the wall, leaving a green streak.

I nodded and with the best smile I could fake I tell him, "I just had to figure out where to start."

It was clear from the uncertainty in his eyes that he didn't fully believe me, but he didn't say anything about it.

"I'm going to practice a bit while my parents are gone, do you care?" He asked as he watched my hands work with the colors.

"Go for it."

He got up and went over to his drum set, leaving me to my work. Now that I knew that he wasn't focusing on me, I relaxed a bit and really got into the painting. By the time Josh decided he was done practicing I had created what appeared to be a field of grass of varying heights.

"It's looking awesome." He remarks as he walks up behind me.

I gave him a lopsided smile murmuring, "Thanks."

Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs opens and Laura's face appears, calling to us, "Dinner is ready you two! Come on up and take a bit of a break."

Even though I wanted nothing more than to avoid going up there, I knew it would be rude if I didn't. I went up after Josh, making sure that I washed the paint off of me in the guest bathroom in the basement beforehand.

As soon as Abby saw me, she asked, "Are you done yet?"

"Don't rush her, Abby." Laura chides her as she gestures for me to sit down at the table.

I do as instructed and sit down between Abby and Josh, telling her, "Not yet, but I'm getting there."

That answer seemed to please her as she says, "I can't wait to see it."

"Well, I hope you like it when you do."

I was startled when their dad sat down at the end of the table and spoke to me, "Josh says you're a wonderful artist. I'm sure Abby will adore it."

I did my best to keep my voice even as I said, "Thank you, sir."

He chuckled, "You can call me Bill, dear. Sir makes me feel old."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

Thankfully before anything else could be said Laura sat down at the table saying, "Okay you all, dig in."

I watched them all pass around the dishes of steaming food, thinking that this reminded me of something off of a thanksgiving postcard. I then began to wonder, is this what a normal family is like?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Bolt From the Blue by Meg Myers

I was relieved that after dinner Laura and Bill were alright with me heading back downstairs to continue to paint. Thankfully the paint they had given me was quick drying, so I could start working on the heads of the flowers. Josh ended up having to stay upstairs to help with washing the dishes, so now I was left in the basement with only my thoughts to keep me company. Now I could truly get lost in what I was doing and in those moments were where I got some of my best work. The negative things in my head faded into mere white noise as I made countless brushstrokes to the bare wall. This was why I did this, for the escape it gave, for the way the world fell away when I painted.

By the time Josh made his way down stairs, my hands and somehow bits of my face were covered in paint. I turned to him with a shy smile on my face over the messy state I was in. He paused on the stairs, staring at me for a few seconds before looking at the progress I had made.

"Beautiful." He murmured as he moved closer.

"Do you think Abby will like it?"

"I don't see how she couldn't." He tells me and when he peers back at me, his expression changes as he questions, "What happened to your hand?"

My throat tighten, I forgotten all about keeping my burn out of sight. I sighed, "I accidentally bumped into my dad's cigarette this morning."

"And you didn't think to put something on it?" He asked in disbelief before quickly hurrying upstairs calling behind him, "Hang on, let me get the first aid kit."

I let out a breath of relief over the fact he didn't think to press any further about how I had managed to bump into the cigarette in the first place. I gazed down at the angry red ring on my hand, wondering if I was going to gain another scar.

"Mom? Have you seen the rubbing alcohol?” Josh called from somewhere upstairs.

I smiled softly despite myself over the fact he was making such a big fuss over my small injury.

"No dear, did you check in the medicine cabinet?"

A few minutes later Josh came bounding down the steps with the first aid kit. "I couldn't find any alcohol, so are you alright when peroxide?"

I shrugged, "It doesn't matter to me either way."

He sat back down in front of me and placed the kit next to him before beginning to tend to me. His touch was noticeably gentle as he dabbed a cotton ball soaked with peroxide to my burn. His brown eyes glanced up at me, as if to make sure I wasn't feeling any sort of discomfort. I gave him a tiny smile to signal that I was alright.

I observed his steady movements as he applied healing ointment and then pulled out a bandage roll along with some white tape. Josh tapes an end of the cloth strip on the side of my hand and proceeds to wrap the bandaging around my wound in a snug, but comfortable fit. Once my dressing was secure, I flexed my hand slightly before glancing up at him. I had planned to thank him, but then I saw just how close he was to me.

I brushed off the thought that he had done it on purpose, but then I noticed the way he kept glancing at my mouth. A tiny voice in the back of my mind pleads for me to close the gap between us, but I remained rooted to the spot.

"Joshua! I found the rubbing alcohol if you still need it." Laura called from upstairs, making him swiftly break out of his daze.

"No mom, I took care of it, but thanks anyway!" Josh replied, while doing his best to mask the irritation in his tone.

I got up uttering, "Thanks for the bandage. I should probably be heading home now."

Josh tried to hide the disappointment that flickered over his features, but I was quick to catch it. He brightened up his expression saying, "Alright, I'll see you later then."

I did my best to not rush out of that house as much as I truly wanted to. Once I was out on the street my mind began racing in every direction. Where was I going to stay for the night? Would that be enough to prevent my dad from hitting me for running off this morning? Or would it only make things worse?

At the same time my thoughts were pulling in another direction. Was I really considering letting Josh kiss me? Was that even what he was trying to do? Did I have a crush on him? Why else would I have wanted him to do it?

"Cady? Is that you?" A voice comes from behind me, causing me to spin around in fear.

I let out a small breath of relief seeing that it was Travis sitting in his black car speaking to me, but that the same time it only cause my anxiety to worsen.

I gave him a small wave. "In the flesh."

"Do you need a ride home?"

My already frazzled nerves only got worse at that question, thinking about the last time I was around him alone. I shook my head no, "I'm going anywhere but there."

"Do you want to stay at my house then?" He seemed to know exactly why I was hesitating as he adds, "My mom is home if that makes you feel better."

I knew that my options were slim and I really didn't feel like sleeping outside tonight. I let out a deep sigh before giving up and opening up the passenger door of his car murmur, "Alright."

We rode in silence for a little bit until he remarks, "I've missed seeing you around, I felt like we used to be together every day last summer."

I gave a small nod, refusing to speak on that.

"Even though I know you won't believe me, I am sorry for that night."

Somewhere deep inside of me, I wanted to believe him, but I knew better now. "I'm not the one you need to be apologizing to, but even then I can't forgive you for what you did."

"It wasn't even my idea. You know that it was Louis's." He argued.

"But you went along with it didn't you? You didn't stop him from trying to hurt her. Hell, if I hadn't of come into that room, part of me thinks that you would've done more that help him hold her down!" I snap and decide that this ride is over for me.

As soon as Travis reaches a stop sign and he has to let another car pass, I throw the door open and launch myself out of the vehicle.

"Cady! Where are you going?" He shouted after me.

"I'm getting away from you!" I shoot back just as loudly and then I see where I am, of course I would be near the house Tyler lived in.

Clearly I jinxed myself because the garage door to his house opened and out came Tyler pulling a trash can along with him.

Travis obviously didn't care that we now had an audience as he called out, "So what are you going to sleep on the streets again? Just for old times’ sake?"

That instantly made Tyler's head perk up and look in my direction. A moment of confusion crossed his face, until he saw who was speaking to me. He motioned me over to him and I didn't hesitate to do just that. I heard the sound of tires squealing behind me, letting me know that Travis had left.

"So, what was all that about?"

I knew that I could tell Tyler the truth about our argument since he already knew so much, but I made sure to leave out the part about me avoiding going home.

Sadly that lead to him asking, "Do you still need a ride?"

I waved it off, "I'll be fine, it's not that far of a walk."

"It's no trouble, I have to be picking up my brother from baseball practice anyway." He insists pulling out his car keys to prove his point.

I decided that this was something I'm not going to win, so I say, "Alright, thanks Ty."

The drive to my apartment complex was silent other the radio softly playing and I quickly made up a plan, I guess I was sleeping outside after all. I could see that the light of my apartment was on and my dad's car was in the lot. My stomach twisted uncomfortably, hopefully he wouldn't notice me getting out of Tyler's car.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I tell Tyler as I step out of his vehicle and in the same moment a loud crash comes from the second level.

Tyler and I both jumped slightly. I was leery as I turned around and I could see the shadow of my father throwing stuff around the tiny living room. My eyes frantically searched the parking lot for my mom's car and I let out a breath of relief when I couldn't find it.

"Cady? What's going on up there? Should we call the cops?" Tyler questioned as he got out of his car.

"No, hang on a second." I tell Tyler as I reach into the bushes next to the staircase. I grabbed the note out of the leaves that Quinn had left me. It was a way we could keep in touch if one of us had slipped out and the other shouldn't go home.

'Dad is still pissed about this morning. Went to Jason's again. Already called mom. Don't go inside.' The note was wrote in a scribbled haste.

I shoved the paper into my pocket and turned back to Tyler. I was a bit stunned to see that he was right behind me and had probably been reading over my shoulder.

He was clearly freaked out by what he was seeing in that apartment, but he still managed to ask, "Is that for you? Wait, is that your dad up there?"

My brain frantically searched for excuses or lies that I could make up, but I knew that Tyler wouldn't believe any of them. So it just left me speaking in a jumbling mess, "It's... I just..."

Tyler glanced from the apartment window and then back to me before saying, "Come on, let's get back in the car."

I gave him a look of confusion and he added, "You aren't staying here tonight, nor are you sleeping outside."

The wave of gratitude and relief that came over me was astounding as I did just as he told. I was also grateful for the fact he didn't ask any more questions as we drove to the baseball field to get his brother. On the other hand, I was still paranoid that Tyler could easily put two and two together. I feared that he might tell someone else about what he had seen.

Zack ended up being a lot nicer than his brother had been when we first met, but the question he asked as soon as he saw me caught me off guard. "Isn't she that one dude's sister? You know the one you..."

"Yes, that's her." Tyler cut him off quickly. "This is Cadence."

Zack grinned wickedly, "Does she not know?"

I rose an eyebrow, "Not know what?"

"We'll talk about it later." Tyler states, seeming a bit on edge now.

Despite my curiosity, I nodded anyway. Also I was a bit surprised over the fact that Tyler even knew Quinn, but the question was, how?

When we reached their house I began to worry about what his parents would think of me staying over.

"You can stay in Madison's room. She's spending the night at our grandma's." Tyler tells me and Zack offers to show me the way.

It was clear that I was staying in a young girl's room when Zack opened the door telling me, "Wait in here."

I gazed around their sister's bedroom as I heard Tyler speaking in a hushed tone to a female voice that I assumed was his mom. I froze in place as I strained to hear their conversation.

"My friend Cadence needs to stay over for the night, is that okay with you?"

"Where's she going to sleep?"

"Maddie's room."

"Alright, well tell her if she needs anything to just let me know."

I was a bit shocked to hear that she was so relaxed with having some random girl in her house and relieved that Tyler didn't explain it much either. A few minutes later Tyler stepped into the room with some clothes in hand.

"I brought you some of my mom's pajamas if you want them." He informs me. When I nod he hands over some soft light blue clothing, but there were still more clothes in his arms. "These are for school tomorrow. I hope you don't mind wearing my stuff."

I shook my head, "It doesn't bother me at all."

"Awesome, because I don't think an eleven year old's clothes would fit you."

I chuckled, "I doubt it."

"Alright, well if you need anything I'm just down the hall."

Before Tyler made his way out of the room, I call out, "Hey, thanks for all of this."

He smiled and waved it off, "It's no big deal. Try to get some sleep."

With that he shuts the door and I quickly change into the p.j.s before climbing into the twin bed in the corner of the room. Even though it was strange to be spending the night in a room that smelled slight of cupcakes and flowers, it didn't take long for sleep to pull me under.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> War of Change by Thousand Foot Krutch

It was embarrassing how startled I was the next morning when Tyler's mom, Kelly, woke me up. All she had done was tap on the doorjamb and softly called out my name. I jolted upright in her daughter's bed, snapping my head in her direction.

"Is everything alright, dear?" She asked with clear concern on her features, but I could also hear the hesitation in her tone.

I decided that telling a white lie was better than saying what had really run through my mind. I nodded, "I was just having a nightmare."

She frowned slightly, “Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I just wanted to wake you up so you'd have enough time to take a shower and eat some breakfast."

"Okay, thank you." I reply meekly with a polite smile.

When she slipped out of the doorframe I sat still for a minute longer, just trying to even out my heart rate. Once I had calmed down a bit, I got up and found the bathroom. I made sure to keep my shower quick, but part of me desperately wanted to stay under the stream. It had been a long time since I've actually had a warm water to bathe with.

I quickly figured out that this family was very fast passed about getting ready and Zack explained that it was because their parents both had to be at school an hour before we did. Kelly was an English teacher for sophomores and when their dad walks in the kitchen I instantly recognized him as our assistant principle. I glanced from Tyler to Zack, wondering if it was awkward for them to have their dad be a part of their school like that.

Mr. Joseph poured himself a cup of coffee and then turned to greet all of us. "Good morning boys and Ms. Cadence Riggs, what a lovely surprise."

"Hi, Mr. Joseph." I say in a hushed tone.

He laughed at that, telling me, "You don't have to be so formal here hon, you can call me Chris."

I nodded wordlessly as I took a bite out of the toast Tyler had given me a few minutes ago.

When Kelly came back in the room Chris remarked, "Madison is going to be mad at us that we had another girl over and she didn't get to meet her."

"Well, Cadence is welcome to be here whenever she wants. I know I could use some more ladies around when this house is overrun by little boys." She tells her husband with a chuckle when she sees the looks the rest of her family gave her.

"Are trying to say I'm a child?" Chris questioned.

Tyler must have noticed the small ripple of fear that crossed my face, because he places a hand on my arm and leans over to where only I can hear him say, "Don't worry they're just playing around."

"Maybe I am." She shot back with a grin.

"Well, you're the one that agreed to marry this boy, so you have no one to blame but yourself."

She chuckled, "It would seem to be that way."

She grabbed a set of keys off of the countertop next to Chris and gave him a kiss and when she leaned away, her gaze lingered on his. I cast my eyes down because it was clearly a private moment and I didn't want to be rude.

"Well, we will see you all at school later, be sure to lock up when you leave." Chris tells us and gave all of us fist bumps as a way of saying goodbye, which I found sort of funny.

Kelly kissed both of her son's cheeks and I was a bit stunned when she gave me a hug.

"Our mom is a very loving person." Zack informs me as I hesitantly return the gesture to her.

"Have a good day you three and be careful when you go pick up Josh." She calls as she and Chris hurry out the door.

That instantly caused me to worry, what would Josh think of me showing up with his best friend to pick him up for school? Would Tyler tell him why I was tagging along?

Zack got up from the table, mumbling that he was going to go brush his teeth and then Tyler finally turned his attention to me. It was almost like he had read my mind, but for all I knew this had probably been on his mind since he had taken me from my apartment last night.

"Cady, I hate to have to ask this, but is your dad always like that?"

I truly didn't want to lie to Tyler, not after how helpful he has been to me, but I couldn't tell him the entire truth either.

I nervously licked my lips and explained, "Not all the time, he just has out bursts sometimes because he has been going through a lot lately."

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't fully believe me, but none the less he nodded and let it drop. On our way out the door, Tyler pointed out that I didn't have a jacket on and that a cold front had come through late last night.

I shrugged it off, "Oh well, I should be alright."

He frowned at that murmuring, "Hang on a second."

A minute later Tyler came back into the kitchen with a red and gold jacket in his hand. He handed it to me saying, "This was the only one that was clean."

I unfolded the article of clothing, discovering that it had our school name on the front and his last name and basketball number were on the back. I was about to hand it back, saying that I didn't want anyone to give him a hard time over me wearing his things.

"Come on guys, we need to hurry up." Zack tells us as he opens the front door and a gust of chilly wind slips inside.

I swiftly disregarded the thought of refusing to wear Tyler's jacket. Now my entire outfit had come from his closet. After that we all made it out to the car I was a bit surprised to see Jenna Black waiting next to it.

Tyler smiled as soon as he spotted her and gave her a hug as he asked, "I'm guessing you're riding with us today?"

"Only if you guys don't mind." She replies and then sends a bright smile to me, "Hey Cady! I haven't seen you in ages!"

Yet again I was receiving another hug today, but this one wasn't as shocking to me. I used to see Jenna around Ronnie's group of friends a lot, that is until that party. It had never made sense to me why such a sweet girl would want to hang out around a crowd like that, but I guess she's the sort of person that always looks for the good in others.

I returned the embrace saying, "It's good to see you again."

Jenna ended up sitting up front with Tyler, while Zack and I got in the back. When we pulled up to Josh's house I wondered where they intended for him to sit. I quickly caught on when Zack motioned for me to move closer to him, which meant I was about to be sandwiched in the middle of Tyler's small car. It was clear that Josh was puzzled when he opened the back door and found me there.

He glanced at Tyler, who gave a half-hearted, "Surprise!"

I was relieved that in response all Josh asked me was, "So, where's your brother?"

"He's staying the night with his friend Jason and his mom always gives them a ride to school."

But then his next question caused me to falter, "What made you decide to catch a ride with Ty?"

"Um..."

Thankfully Tyler cut in, "I had offered."

That seemed to satisfy Josh's curiosity as he moved to sit down next to me. Now that we were all packed into the vehicle, Tyler backed out and headed for the school. I remained silent as I listened to Jenna and Tyler fuss about the Biology test they had today, but Josh pulled my attention away when he shuffled slightly.

I stiffened somewhat and he obviously noticed it when he asked, "I'm not squishing you, am I?"

"No, you're fine."

Silence fell over the backseat once more and I was glad that my thoughts became preoccupied with finding Quinn when we got to school. I tried not to appear antsy when we pulled into the parking lot, but as soon as Zack got out I hurried after him. I turned to thank Tyler, but then I caught a glimpse of the expression on Josh's face.

I couldn't tell if he was more confused or angry as he questioned, "Why are you wearing Tyler's clothes?"

Tyler and I exchanged wary looks and I couldn't come up with an excuse that didn't make us look bad or exposed the truth.

That's when Zack decided to jump in, "She stayed the night at our house."

Josh turned his attention to him, "What for?"

"I'm not sure actually, but she spent the night in Madison's room or at least I think she did."

Tyler and I whipped our heads in his brother's direction, giving him a look of disbelief. How could he say something like that?

It seemed to dawn on Zack that what he had said sounded bad and he quickly attempted to backtrack his words. "I didn't mean anything like that, I was just saying that I didn't know if he had ended up letting her sleep in Maddie's room or on the couch."

It didn't take a genius to see that Josh was far from believing him, but his words made my jaw drop as he muttered, "Maybe Ash was right about you."

With that he stormed away and everyone else seemed to be confused by his statement.

"What did he mean by that?" Jenna asked.

As much as I didn't want to repeat what Josh's sister had said, I decided it was better than just leaving the rest of the of them in the dark. I explained the conversation I had overheard them having and when I had finished they all appeared to be pretty upset by it.

Before anything could be said, Quinn came jogging over to the four of us. "What's up everybody?"

The last thing I wanted to do was to drag my brother into this, so I said, "Nothing until you came around. How was it over at Jason's?"

"It was good, as per usual." He tells me and then turns to the others. "Do you guys care if I steal her?"

Tyler is the one to answer before Zack or Jenna could. "Nah, it's fine we were all just getting ready to head to class. Have a nice day you two."

Tyler quickly lead his brother and Jenna away and as soon as they were out of hearing range Quinn asks, "So, where did you end up staying last night?"

I turned slightly to show him the back of the jacket I had on. "At Tyler's."

He squinted his eyes at me and I couldn't resist laughing at the face he was making before adding, "I slept in his little sister's room."

"By yourself?"

"With only the company of my nightmares." I reassured him with a bit of dark humor.

He shook his head with a small smile commenting, "You're too much sometimes."

"So, I've been told many times."

"Where's Josh at then?" He asks as he peers around like Josh might pop up from behind one of the cars surrounding us. He must have noticed the slight change in my expression because he questions, "Is there something going on?"

It was my turn to shake my head.

I was a bit surprised when Quinn pulled me into a hug murmuring, "Whatever it is, it'll sort itself out."

I sighed and returned the gesture. I truly hope that he's right.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Blank You Out by Seafret

I stayed close to Quinn's side we entered the school, it seemed to be the only thing that kept my anxiety at bay.

When we reached Mrs. Harrison's classroom he turned to me and whispered, "Anything that he says to you today is nothing worse than you've already heard from somebody else. He can't hurt you if you don't let him. Remember that okay?"

I gave a stiff nod and he gave me a small smile before gently pushing me through the door. I instantly spotted Josh, but he had his head down to hide his face. My eyes scanned the rest of my classmates and they all seemed to be occupied by their own things, which was a great relief. I sat down at my desk as quietly as I could, but I had feeling that I could have slammed my stuff on my desktop and Josh wouldn't even bother to look up.

"Nice jacket, Cady." I hear Foster's voice say from behind me. "What did you do to get Tyler to give you that?"

I whipped around to face him when I felt him pluck at the collar of the jacket, snapping, "He let me borrow it because it's cold and I forgot my mine."

His eyes drifted down my form, making my skin crawl, and he questioned, "Did you forget the rest of your clothes too?"

"Why don't you mind your own fucking business for once?"

"You two, don't start today." Mrs. Harrison barks as she enters the room.

I mentally thank her since it got Foster to shut his mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Josh slowly lift his head and he made sure to keep his gaze trained to the front of the classroom. I gritted my teeth inside of my mouth out of annoyance at his behavior. I didn't even understand why he was so upset over my attire. I let out a huff of air and rest my chin on my palm, turning my attention back to Mrs. Harrison.

After school, I was surprised to find Tyler waiting with my brother at my locker, but they seemed to be too lost in their own conversation to notice me approach. I cleared my throat after a minute to get their attention and they both jumped slightly at the sound.

I chuckled, "What are you two up to?"

Quinn shrugged, "I was just waiting for you like usual."

"What about you then, Ty?"

Tyler glanced at Quinn and gives him a soft apology before pulling me aside. He kept his voice low as he asked, "Are you both going to be alright going home?"

As much as I wanted to tell him no, I didn't think we would be okay, I knew that I couldn't. I didn't want to make things worse than they were about to be.

I gave him my best reassuring smile. "We should be."

"Okay, but if either of you ever need anywhere to stay, my home is always open to you."

My smile became more honest at that as I say, "Thank you, Tyler."

When Tyler left and Quinn and I began to head home, he asks, "So, what was that about back there?"

I didn't meet his eyes when I murmur, "He say dad throwing some stuff around from the apartment window."

"Does he know now?"

I pretended not to hear the tremor of fear in his tone. I wasn't entirely sure what he was afraid of, but I hated hearing it for any reason. I had to find a way to get him out of that house, before it damaged him anymore than it already has.

I shook my head, "No, I made up the excuse that he sometimes has a temper issue."

"Cady, Tyler is a smart guy, you know he probably doesn't believe that, right?"

I sighed heavily, "I know, but that's all I could come up with at the moment. What should I have even told him? What's the right lie for what gets done to us?"

It was clear that hit a nerve for Quinn and he became silent after that. For the second time today, I've managed to upset someone I care about and I hated myself for it.

As we reached the apartment complex I tell Quinn, "I'll see you later, alright?"

He rose an eyebrow at me. "Where are you going now?"

I grabbed ahold of the straps of my backpack and shake it, making the cans still residing in my bag rattle around. It had certainly made for an interesting day of having no school supplies and a bunch of spray paint instead.

"See you later then." He says with a nod and I take that as my cue to leave.

Instead of heading for the train car in Josh's backyard, I took the long walk to the abandoned apartment building at the end of town. By the time I reached the run-down building, the sun had begun to set. I surveyed the area around me, making sure that no one would see me slip inside. Once I was sure that I wasn't going to be seen, I hauled myself in through an empty windowpane and smiled at the sight before me. Several of my murals covered the walls around me, giving the room bursts of color even in the dim light. I felt a sense of calm ease its way into me as I made my way to find an empty wall, before I say my bag on the ground and started to pull out my spray cans.

Since I didn't have any sort of extra cloth to cover my face, I just pulled my shirt over my nose. I made sure to stand back as I worked, to keep from getting any paint on my borrowed outfit. I ended up having to fish out my small flashlight from my backpack when it became too dark to see without it. I finished my work well into the night and I was pleased with the outcome. A multicolored hummingbird now broke up the blandness of the wall and I just wanted to stay there all-night staring at it. I released a tiny sigh and got my things back together before making my leave.

I was exhausted by the time I made it back home and I counted myself lucky that I didn't catch anyone awake when I stepped inside. Before I got in bed, I made sure to push a chair against my door to prevent my dad from coming in and beating me in and out consciousness when he got up.

I carefully removed Tyler's clothes and kneeled to sit them under my bed, but that's when I spotted the shirt Josh had let me borrow awhile back. My heart ached at the sight, I hated Josh being upset with me, but maybe it's better this way. Maybe this will keep him from getting too close and seeing just how ugly my world truly is.

The next day Josh continued to ignore me, but it seemed to sting a little less. As much as I just wanted to leave him be, it was as if I could feel his shirt burning a hole in my back from inside my bag and I knew that I needed to return it. I waited until lunch before deciding to pull him aside.

"Josh? Can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked as he stepped out of his English class.

It was clear from his expression that the last thing he wanted to do was speak to me, but he still paused to listen. I fished his shirt out of my backpack and held it out to him, "Sorry it took so long to get this back and I made sure to clean it as well. Thank you for letting me borrow it."

"Um, your welcome." He replies appearing to struggle to find anything else to say as he takes his t-shirt.

I nodded, "Right, well I'll let you be on your way."

I scurried off to the lunch table Quinn was at, thankful that we had the same lunch period. He scooted over as soon as he saw me approach. I was surprised when his friend Jason held out an apple to me.

"He hates them." Quinn explains before I have a change to refuse the fruit.

"Thanks." I say softly and take it.

"So, any luck with Josh?"

I bit into the apple so I wouldn't be able to speak as I shook my head nonchalantly. He frowned at that and his eyes began to scan the lunchroom.

I rose an eyebrow at him. "What are you looking for?"

"Tyler."

As if he could sense Jason rolling his eyes, Quinn added, "I just need him to relay a message to Josh for me."

My eyes widened as I frantically shook my head. "Don't, just leave it."

"Oh hush, just sit there and eat your granny smith apple. I'm dealing with this." He tells me with the utmost sass.

"Dude, granny smith apples are green. That's one of those tiny ass red ones." Jason points out.

Quinn waves him off. "Whatever, but speaking of tiny asses, here comes Ty now."

Now both Jason and I were rolling our eyes at my brother as I groaned, "Can we please not do this?"

Quinn ignored me that time and motioned for Tyler to come over to our table. Part of me wanted to peek at the table Josh usually sat at as Tyler sat down at our table.

Quinn clearly didn't feel like wasting any time because he questions, "So, have you had a chance to talk to Josh today?"

His expression saddened slightly, "No, he's been refusing to speak to me."

"I guess that means you and Cady are in the same boat." Jason remarks.

Tyler sighed softly as he rolled his eyes, but he nodded along.

"I wish Josh would just own up to the fact that he's into my sister." Quinn states sounding fed up.

Jason, Tyler, and I all gave him different looks of shock.

Quinn rose an eyebrow at us. "What? How is this news to you all? I thought it was pretty obvious."

Tyler seemed like he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.

"You're full of it." I mutter before taking another bite out of my apple.

If Josh liked me, he had a weird way of showing it. A thought of the last night I was at his house butted its way into focus, but I disregarded it now. It was clear that I had been wrong.

I was thankful when Jason decided to change the subject by asking Tyler about when the next basketball game was supposed to be. He knew that Quinn would never miss a chance to listen to Tyler talk about literally anything. If anyone was glaringly obvious about having a crush, it was Quinn. Part of me wondered if Tyler could tell too and if he knew, how did he feel about it?

I simply watched the way they interacted and I couldn't resist smiling slightly whenever Quinn blushed from Tyler speaking to him. I recalled a remark that Tyler's brother Zack had made, it was plan to see that Tyler had mentioned my brother to his. But why? A sneaking suspicion entered my mind, what if Tyler returned Quinn's affections?

My smile got brighter at the idea. My brother deserved someone as kind and understanding as Tyler. If I was right, I would support them fully if they were to get together.

It took a minute to dawn on me, but I could practically feel someone's eyes burning into my back. I halfway expected to turn around and find that Josh was behind it, but I found someone much worse. Louis had stepped into the lunchroom and not only were his eyes boring into me, he was heading this way too.

"Oh, shit." Quinn and I said at the same time.

Tyler's head snapped in the direction we were looking in and his smile swiftly dropped. "What does he want?"

"Alright Cady, it's time we finally settled this." He calls across the room, causing everyone to turn their attention to me.

Even though I felt as small as an ant, I answered Tyler without breaking eye contact with Louis, "I have a feeling that we're about to find out."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> Explosion by Seafret

"Get up." Louis growled when he reached my table.

Despite my fear, I gave him a dirty look questioning, "Why should I?"

"It'll be easier if you just do as I say." He explains and I could hear warning in his voice.

Despite my better judgment, I rose from my seat. Louis grinned wickedly at me, but remained silent. I knew what was coming before he even moved. I was all too familiar with the coldness that flooded his eyes. In the matter of seconds, he drew back and punched me in the mouth. The cafeteria erupted with noise as I stumbled backwards. Tyler sprung to his feet and steadied me as Quinn and Jason rushed in front of me.

"Get the fuck out of my way fags." Louis orders as he reached to shove them away from me.

Louis fists the fabric of my shirt as I tried to fight off the fuzziness that was clouding my brain. My hands shot up to cover my face as he pulled back his arm yet again.

"Helmer! Back off!" Mr. Joseph barked as he charged over to us. He yanks Louis away from me and another male teacher escorts Louis out of the lunchroom. Mr. Joseph turned his attention to his son asking, "What happened?"

As Tyler explained what he had missed I finally noticed Josh standing just behind Mr. Joseph. Had Josh been the one to bring him in here? He hovered there, fidgeting with his hands like he didn't know what else to do. He kept sending me fretful glances and it was clear that he was struggling on the inside with something.

"Joshua, would you please take Cadence to the nurse's office?" Mr. Joseph requested.

Josh nodded and then motioned for me to follow him. The hallway was drastically quieter when we stepped out of the cafeteria. Josh cleared his throat a minute later, making me jump.

He gave me a concerned look questioning, "Are you alright?"

"Other than the throbbing pain in my face and tasting blood, I'm just fine." I reply with a sarcastic edge.

"Well, at least you aren't visibly bleeding." He points out weakly.

I don't know if it was the pain or the fact I was still irritated with him that made me mutter, "What a relief."

When we reached the nurse's, I refuse to meet his eyes as I grip the door handle and say, "You can go back now, I've got it from here."

"Cadence," He began and before I can stop myself, I peer up at him. Just from his expression alone, I could tell that he was about to apologize. "I'm..."

I held up a hand before he could finish, telling him, "I really don't care what you have to say. I don't have time for it."

The look of hurt that flashed over his features almost made me take back my lie, but I know I can't. I could see that Quinn was right about how Josh felt towards me and I needed to get him away from me, before this got us both hurt.

"You really are as awful as they say you are." He murmurs and then leaves me standing there speechless.

I slipped into the other room and rested my head against the door, letting out a deep sigh. Even though it had been necessary I still hated hurting Josh.

"Excuse me, dear? Is there anything I can help you with?" A kind female voice speaks up from behind me.

I blinked back the mistiness in my eyes and turned to face her asking, "Could I have an ice pack, please?"

As soon as she saw the bruise that was undoubtedly developing on my face, she hurried to fulfill my request. The nurse motioned for me to sit in the chair closest to me before handing me an ice pack. I cast a glance at her desk, discovering that her name was Linda Stephen as I pressed the bag to my cheek. I gradually became aware of the way she was studying me and decided then that I needed to be leaving.

"Thanks for this." I say, gesturing to the ice as I got up to make my way out.

Before I could escape, she asks, "Do you get into fights often?"

My heart stuttered at her words, but I scrunched my eyebrows together as if I was confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I just noticed that you have a lot of bruises that are in various stages of healing."

I cursed the fact I didn't manage to grab my jacket before leaving the lunchroom. I decided that it would be best to lie and play it off like it wasn't that big of a deal. "I do a lot of camping and I tend to get a little roughed up along the way."

"But some of these look like handprints. Is someone hurting you?" She asks with eyes filled with concern.

I nervously licked my lips; most people usually didn't ask this many questions. "Louis Helmer and I got into it last week after school too. I guess they just haven't managed to fade away."

"I think we should let the principal know about this."

I shook my head. "I think they are already taking care of it, so there's really no point."

She gave me a suspicious look and I could tell that my frantic excuses weren't helping me. "Are your parents aware of all of this?"

"Yes." I say as my mouth dries out from nerves.

It seemed she could tell that she wasn't getting anywhere with me, so she said, "Hold on, let me write you a note to class."

Even when I finally got out of Mrs. Stephen's office I still felt on edge. The last thing I needed was someone sticking their nose in my business, no matter how good their intentions were.

After school I was relieved to see that my dad wasn't home yet, but I knew that didn't mean I was safe from the punishment I was most likely going to receive when he did get here. I made a beeline for my room, barricading the door as best as I could with my small dresser. I kept watch for his vehicle from my window and that's when I finally got a glimpse of my face. The bruise Louis had given me was already darkening, meaning that he hadn't hit me that hard and that it would disappear soon.

About fifteen minutes later, my father pulled into the parking lot. I ducked away from the window before he could have the chance to see me. I didn't move an inch as I listened to him enter the apartment and call out for my brother.

"Where's your sister?"

I swallowed thickly as I waited for Quinn's response.

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen her in a while actually."

"That's strange because I got a call at work earlier telling me that the two of you were involved in a fight. So, where is she?"

I knew where this was going and I swiftly rose to my feet to remove the dresser blocking the door.

"I d-don't know." Quinn stumbles over his words.

The sound of shuffling meets my ears and then Quinn cries out.

"Cady, get the fuck out here or I'll beat his ass!" My dad booms, he knew that the last thing I ever want is for my brother to get hurt over me.

I dash out into the living room and I spot him gripping Quinn's arm to the point of bruising. Right when he sees me, he drops Quinn's arm and strides over to me. "What happened today?"

"Ronnie's boyfriend and I had a disagreement." I explain as I try to keep myself from shaking. I know that I have to be in deep shit for all that I've done over the past few days.

He smirked at that, questioning, "So, is that where you've been?"

I had a feeling that I knew what was going through his head and I knew that it would be enough to keep Josh and Tyler safe. So, I went along with it by nodding.

He lets out a dry laugh, "It shouldn't surprise me that you would sleep with your best friend's man, but that doesn't make me any less disappointed. You know, sometimes you're absolutely disgusting."

I didn't say a word as I cast my eyes down. I could feel the anger clutching at my brain, every part of me wanted to lunge at him and find the strength to hurt him the way he does me for once.

"I think you've already learned your lesson from that boy. Thankfully, it saves me from having to waste my time punishing you." He states and waves me off.

I don't hesitate to scurry back to my bedroom and once I was alone I let out a shaky breath of relief. I sat down on the floor and rested my back against the wall while I stared at the bag hidden under my bed. I wonder if there will ever come a day where the contents would be enough to get out of this hellhole.

An hour or so later there was a knock at the front door. I was surprised and horrified to see Tyler standing on the front porch. What was he doing here? Before I have a chance to move, the door opens. I give a relieved sigh when I hear Quinn's voice. I'm suddenly grateful for the apartment's thin walls because it allows me to hear their conversation.

"So, how's Cady?"

"I think she's doing alright. The damage doesn't look too bad."

Tyler smiled slightly at that and his cheeks gained a pink tint when he asks, "Are you busy right now?"

My mouth fell open slightly, was I right about Tyler having a crush on my brother? Anticipation caused my heart to beat faster as Quinn bit at his lip, clearly debating on his answer. Right when I went to bang on the window and command that he go with Tyler, he finally shook his head murmuring, "I'm free."

A few minutes later they got into Tyler's car and disappeared down the road. Even though my day had been shitty, I was more than happy to see that Quinn's didn't have to stay that way.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter song:
> 
> I'm Sorry by Flyleaf

Several hours later my brother finally came home, the only reason I knew was because I happened to hear him laughing from the front door. I peeked out of the flimsy blinds on my window, to witness Tyler pecking him on the cheek before heading back down the stairs. I didn't hesitate to meet Quinn at the door and I'm sure he knew what I was about to say from the look on my face.

Quinn leaned over me to look inside and when he saw that our dad wasn't in the room, he motioned for me to step outside with him. We remained silent until we reached the bottom of the stairs and as we started walking away from our building, I decided it was safe to speak.

"So, it looked like that went well." I remark with a pleased smile.

Quinn had a far-off dreamy look in his eye as we moved further and further away from the apartment and murmured, "He's even sweeter than I first thought."

"I never would have guessed that Tyler is gay..."

He shook his head, "He's not."

When he saw the confused look I gave him he added on, "He's bisexual."

"Ah, well I'm just glad that he returns your feelings. You too will make a cute couple." I confirm.

Quinn's entire face reddened as he mumbled, "Don't get ahead of yourself already."

We walked in a contented hush for a while before Quinn speaks up again, "Maybe Josh will finally stop being jealous over you and Tyler's friendship when he realizes that I'm the one that Tyler likes."

I gave a shrug of indifference, "I don't care what he does."

He sent me an incredulous look, "Since when?"

I decided to just get right to the point, "Since we stopped being friends."

"Oh, come on, you'll make up."

"You don't get it, I ended it for good. Not him."

His jaw dropped, "But why?"

"Because it's not safe, for either of us. I don't want to risk dad finding out about Josh in any shape or form."

Quinn gazed at me long and hard for a minute before asking, "You really like him, don't you?"

I scoffed at the idea, "It's nothing like that, I just don't want to see such a kindhearted person get involved in the shit storm that is my life."

He fell silent after that, Quinn knew everything about that, probably better than anyone else. He lived it with me, he heard the rumors, and he knew not to say a word about any of it. He knew that the best thing for everyone was if they all knew as little as possible. I couldn't tell him what to do when it came to Tyler, that was his decision, but I was the one that got to choose how much Josh knew about me.

The stars were twinkling brightly by the time we went back into the apartment and thankfully our dad had just gotten in the shower when we stepped inside. Quinn and I split two packets of Ramen noodles that we made in the microwave to speed up the cooking, before rushing off to our rooms as soon as our dad turned off the water.

I laid in bed for a long time before I came to terms with the fact that my thoughts just weren't going to let me rest tonight. I rolled up my blinds to stare at the moon, finding it in the first quarter phase. Something about looking up at the night sky always brought me a strange sort of peace and right then I needed it. My mind wouldn't stop beating me up over what I had said to Josh and kept coming up with ways to apologize to him. I did my best to put it to a stop in a pointless way, by counting stars.

I reached almost fifty, when an odd noise caught my attention. I held my breath as I strained to see if I could hear it again and when I did, my heart sank. I knew that sound all too well, Quinn was crying. I crept to my bedroom door and inched it open, making his sobs less muffled.

"You think that shit is allowed?" My father snarls in a low voice. "In my family?"

The sound of a hard pop had my feet moving before I could even think, but what I saw made me freeze in my tracks. Quinn was lying on the kitchen floor, only in his boxers, wrapped around the table in the fetal position. His outcries had been stifled by his hands covering his face as he shook, either from fear or pain.

"What makes you fucking thing that I would let you be a faggot? Did you think you could hide it from me? I know everything, boy, everything." Our father seethes as he crouched beside Quinn like a predator waiting to attack its prey.

When he lifted his hand to hit my brother once more, I rushed over and grabbed his arm before he could swing. His expression was stunned at first when he turned to me, but it morphed into a grimace. He tore his arm out of my hold and like a flash of lightening, backhanded me.

I stumbled back from the blow, but when I saw him start back on Quinn, I didn't hesitate to push him away. Quinn peeked out at us, his eyes wide and bloodshot, clearly in awe of what he was witnessing.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind?" My father spits at me.

I knew that I was in for it now, but at least it got him to lay off Quinn. My voice came out stronger than I had expected, "Leave. Him. Alone."

"Since when do you think you call the shots around here?"

A steady pulse of rage and defiance coursed throughout me, I wasn't about to let him hurt Quinn over something he didn't choose.

I didn't break eye contact with my dad as I tell Quinn, "Go put on some clothes and get out of here."

Quinn slowly crawled out from his hiding place and when dad lunged at him, I slid in the way. Our father let out a frustrated growl before pushing me into the wall, but thankfully Quinn made it into his room and locked the door before he could be reached.

Now that my brother couldn't be gotten to without dad breaking down the door and alerting our neighbors, he turned his fury back to me. I was still on my knees, trying to regain the air that had been knocked out of my lungs. Before I even had a chance to dodge it, he kicked me hard in the side. I started to gasp from the pain, but that only made it much, much worse. It felt like he might as well have stabbed me. I let out a choked noise of agony as I placed a trembling hand to my ribs.

"You just can't learn to stay out of things, can you Cady?" He demanded as he loomed over me.

In my peripheral vision, Quinn slowly opened his bedroom door and poked his head out. I knew that I needed to buy him some time to try to sneak out the front door. A thought popped up in my head that I knew would be reckless, but I couldn't come up with a better option right that second. So, I spit on his foot.

The second before his hands wrapped around my throat to cut off my airway, I croaked, "Go."

Quinn fled for the door and I gripped my nails into my father's arms, so he couldn't go after him. I heard the door smack the wall on Quinn's way out and then his feet thundering down the metal stairs. My head began to swim from the pressure on my neck and my hands fell away as I start to see spots. I had been choked before, I knew what was coming next. I just hoped that in the time it would take me to pass out that Quinn was somewhere safe.

My grasp on my consciousness slipped easily from me and I was out like an extinguished flame.

I woke up feeling disoriented and sore beyond all reason. Sharp pains shot through my chest and abdomen when I attempted to sit up. I was puzzled when I heard voices I didn't recognize just outside, but when I heard my brother, I called out to him.

A second later he came rushing to me with Tyler and his brother Zack hot on his heels. I could only blink up at them for a moment because I was so confused to see all of them. When did they get here? Where was my dad?

After the fog in my brain cleared a bit, I questioned, "What are you two doing here?"

Zack could only gape at me in utter shock, so Tyler was the one to answer, "Quinn called and said that you needed help and Zack insisted on tagging along just in case. What happened in here?"

I glanced at Quinn, the right side of his face was beginning to swell and the cut above his eyebrow still had a trail of dried blood underneath it.

Quinn could tell that I was struggling and states, "He knows, Cady."

"Why would you...?"

Quinn cut me off, "Because this has to stop. I know that you've been saying for years that you'll get us out of this, but so has mom and look at us. We're still right here. I thought it was time we finally let someone else help us."

I tried to sigh, but it only made me yelp.

Tyler crouched down on his knees, his eyes frantically gliding over me as he asked, "What hurts?"

"My ribcage."

"Is it hard to breathe?" Zack questions.

I gave him a small nod.

"Ty, I think she might need to go to the hospital. It sounds like she might have a broken rib or something." Zack suggests with worry written all over him. "Come on, let's get her up."

"No, I don't think I need to go to the hospital." I tell them.

"Mom, can help her." Tyler murmurs as he moves to help me up.

The trip from the apartment to Tyler's car was a slow and agonizing one. They had to stop every few steps because the protests from my side, but when we were in the car, we sat there for a moment so my pain would dull down. Tyler grabbed a sweatshirt and tucked it between the seatbelt and my ribs.

"Now what do we do?" Quinn questions peering around at the rest of us.

"We're going back to my house." Tyler states and starts the car.

"I'll call mom and let her know we're on our way." Zack volunteers and when he gets off the phone with her, he informs us, "She says that she'll have everything ready for when we get there."

"What is she getting ready?" Quinn asks.

"Let's see, the recliner, the little lap table for meals, and ibuprofen. Stuff like that."

Quinn rose an eyebrow at that and Zack explained, "I bruised my ribs pretty badly during one of my baseball games about a year ago, so we've dealt with this type of thing before."

"Thank you for going to all this trouble guys, I really appreciate it." I say to Tyler and Zack.

"It's no big deal, we have to help out Josh's girl after all. He'd be upset with us if we didn't." Zack remarks with a chuckle.

I cast my eyes down at that and Zack instantly caught on, "Are you two not talking anymore? Every time I've seen Josh, you're nearly all that he talks about."

That captured my interest, "When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"It's been a while actually." He confesses.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I probably don't mean a thing to him anymore."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song:
> 
> Stars by Hum

Something dawned on me as we pulled into Tyler's driveway, so I asked, "Do you parents know what happened?"

Tyler shook his head, "Not yet."

"Can we just not tell them at all?" I ask as the car comes to a stop.

Tyler could only stare at me for a moment, there was a mixture of confusion and sadness in his eyes, "Why do you want to keep something like this a secret?"

"Because she's afraid." Quinn answers before I have a chance and I sent him a pointed look, but he kept on. "That's why she's so quiet and standoffish, she doesn't want people to see the life she lives because she's scared it might make it worse. That somehow getting taken away from that monster is worse than staying."

"That's enough, Quinn." I warn.

"That's why she pushed Josh away. Whenever she gets closed to actually caring about someone, she cuts them out of her life, even if they are good to have around simply because of fear."

"Why does it matter so much to you?" I snapped, hurting my ribs from raising my voice. "Since when do you care who is and isn't my friend?"

"Because you're treating him like Travis! And last time I checked, Josh is nothing like him. Hell, he's one of the first decent friends you've ever had!"

"Trust me, I know that, but that isn't the point of why I did it. It wasn't about me this time."

"Hurting him isn't protecting him, Cady."

"Protecting him from what?" Tyler butted in.

"Our dad." Quinn and I say at the same time.

"Do you really think he would come after Josh for you two being friends?" Zack questions.

"I don't want to take the risk by trying to find out what he might do." I explain, before questioning, "Are we just going to sit here for the rest of the night? Your mom keeps peeking out the window for you two."

The boys took that as their cue to pile out of the car before helping me out as well. I was worried that Tyler would tell his mom what had happened despite my request not to. I leaned more into Tyler as we made our way inside, even though Quinn was helping me as well. Right then, I didn't want to even look at him. I didn't even want to analyze what he had just said, but my mind was doing it anyway.

Was it true, that I would rather stay in a situation that might one day kill me because I'm frightened by change? Am I actually only hurting my brother and mother by not reporting all the shit that happens to us?

"W-what even happened?" Kelly stammered as I was guided into the seat they had prepared for me.

"Louis Helmer happened." Tyler explained with ease and I had to do my best to keep the surprise off of my face.

Kelly shook her head as she gave a sad sigh, "Your father told me about the fight in lunch today, I didn't realize it was this bad."

"It's because they ran into each other afterwards and we didn't think it was safe for them to stay at home alone with him still lurking around" Tyler pointed out as he draped a blanket over me.

"Did you call the cops?"

"He ran off before we could do anything, but we're planning to make a report." Zack added, jumping into the conversation.

Kelly nodded, before asking me, "Are you comfortable? Is there anything else we can get you, sweetheart?"

I shook my head no and said, "Thank you for going to all this trouble."

She smiled softly, "It's no problem, well you four have a good night. I'm going back to bed."

I watched her slipper clad feet pad back to her bedroom and when she was in her room, I turned to look at Tyler.

He seemed to know what I was going to say before I even had a chance to open my mouth. He smiled softly whispering, "You can tell people whenever you're ready."

It was arranged where I would sleep where I was and that Quinn would sleep on the couch, just in case I were to need anything. Once Tyler and Zack had went to bed, I tried my hardest to find a way to sleep despite the pain I felt with every inhale I took.

It seemed that Quinn couldn't sleep either as he called out in a whisper, "Hey Cady?"

"Yeah?" I responded in a voice just as quiet.

"I'm sorry about earlier, the stuff that I said in front of Tyler and Zack."

I turned my head slightly to find his face in the dim light of the street lamp outside. "It's alright, it wasn't like you were telling them lies. Sometimes, I do worry that I'm holding us back from getting out of that house because of me being scared of what could happen afterwards."

"That's totally normal though, I honestly worry about it myself. Would we ever see mom again? Would dad come after us for exposing him? All of it feels like such a shot in the dark."

"But at least we would have each other."

"Would we though? I'm still a month shy from my sixteen birthday and you've got nearly a whole year before you turn eighteen. The justice system probably wouldn't care if we stayed together or not."

I let out a sigh that turned into a hiss of pain, but after that we didn't say a word. I wasn't sure when Quinn fell asleep, but for hours the only company I had was the stars, until the sun started to rise to take them away.

I didn't even feel tired when Chris stepped in to the living room, yawning and sending me a small wave. I returned the wave with a tiny smile.

"Do you want any coffee, Cady? We also have orange juice, milk, and of course water." He tells me softly from the kitchen.

"I'll take orange juice."

"Good choice."

When he came in the room he handed me the glass before kneeling down beside me. "So, my wife told me about what happened with your ribs. Did Louis come find you after what happened in the lunchroom?"

I hated the thought of lying to Tyler's dad, especially after all the kind things he and his family have done for me. Yet again, came the issue of whether or not I was going to finally tell someone about what my father does. I thought back to what Quinn had said a few hours ago, would our father really come after us?

I swallowed down my guilt and nodded, "His girlfriend was my best friend and they've been to my home before. He showed up and..."

I trailed off because I couldn't force myself to lie anymore, but Chris clearly took it as me not wanting to relive the event in my mind.

He nodded in understand and thankfully changed the subject. "I'm going to have Tyler go get your assignments from school today, so you can just stay here and relax. Oh, here's this as well."

Chris hands me an ice pack and I nod with a whispered, "Thank you."

It wasn't long after that before everyone else woke up to get ready for the day. That was when I finally got to meet Madison. She was a small girl that looked like she was probably in fifth grade and when she saw me and Quinn in the living room, she rushed back down the hall.

"Mom? Did you know that there are two strangers in the living room?" She asks in a rather loud whisper.

"Those are Ty's friends." A little boy's voice answers. "Zack told me so last night."

"Oh, okay." She responds and a few minutes later she comes back down the hallway with a little boy in basketball pajamas.

Madison sent me a nervous glance she headed for the kitchen and I did my best to give her a friendly smile. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted the ice pack I had placed against my ribcage.

"Did you get hurt?" She asked apprehensively.

I nodded, "Yeah, but I'll be alright. I just need some rest."

She nodded in understanding before asking, "What's your name?"

"Cadence."

"Like a cadence in a drumline?"

I was surprised by that until Kelly popped up out of nowhere saying, "Her music teacher used to be a in a drum line, so that's how she teaches them."

"That's really cool." I say and then turn back to Madison, "Yeah, I guess you could put it like that. I don't know if that's why my mom choose my name though."

"It would be kind of cute if she did." Zack remarked as he stepped out of the bathroom, ready for the day. "Josh is the drummer and you’re the beat that he follows."

I felt my cheeks heat up and Quinn yawn before mockingly cooing, "Aw, that's so sweet."

"Are you talking about Tyler's best friend Josh?" Madison asked her brother.

"Yep." Zack stated before making his way into the kitchen.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

My face only got hotter as I shook my head no. "We were only friends."

Her face fell at that, "Were?"

I felt bad for making her seem so sad, but I didn't see any point in not telling her the truth.

"Maddie! Hurry up and eat your waffles before they get cold dear!" Chris calls from in the kitchen and just like that Madison was hurrying off with a smile back on her face.

Chris made me my own plate of waffles, complete with butter and tons of syrup. He also made sure to refill my glass of orange juice. I wasn't used to having a father figure be so kind to me, but I truly appreciated every second of it.

It was eerily quiet after they all left and I was alone in the house, but now that everyone was gone I found myself easily drifting off to sleep.

I woke up to the sound of voices speaking in urgent whispers and my eyes snapped open because of it. I wasn't sure if I was still dreaming when I saw Josh standing in the doorway, but what was most surprising was the look over worry etched all over his features. I was shocked that he still had it in him to care for me at all.

"Cadence." He breathed out as he brushed past Tyler and Quinn. He moved to stoop down on his knees beside my chair, letting his hand rest against my forearm. "What happened? Abby came home saying that Madison said you were hurt and that she thought you needed me."

Thanks to my still sleep fogged brain, all I could think to reply with was, "How do they know each other?"

Tyler is the one to answer my question with an amused smile, "They go to the same elementary school and they've seen the two of us at both of their houses."

Josh kept casting glances at the now melted ice pack that was resting against my side, which Quinn noticed to and then turned to Tyler to ask, "Hey Ty, would you mind showing me where you guys keep the icepacks? It looks like Cady needs a new one."

"Yeah, sure." He agreed as he followed my brother into the kitchen, leaving Josh and I alone.

Josh let out a tired sounding laugh as he shook his head, "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

I knew I couldn't lie to Josh about this, he would find out quickly that whatever excuse I came up with wasn't the truth. The last thing I wanted to do was to be mean to him, but what other choice did I have?

"Does it seem like I would actively choose to get kicked in the ribs?" I demand while rolling my eyes with as much disgust as I could muster.

His head quickly rose back up and a look of shock and sadness was all over his face as he asked, "Why would someone do something like that to you?"

All my drive to keep up my bitchy facade instantly faded away as I cast my eyes down and simply muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."

He seemed to hesitate on his next statement, as if he was scared to say it, but I understood why when he asked, "Is someone else, other than Louis, doing all of this to you on purpose?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song:
> 
> Be There by Seafret

I bit my bottom lip until it hurt, I didn't know what to say. I wasn't ready to reveal to Josh that I had been lying to him for a while now, to let him know that nearly every injury I had was thanks to my own father. How would he take that? It wasn't normal for someone's parent to want to hurt their child, but it was so normal for me. 

"Cadence, it's okay." He murmurs as his hand finds mine even though he refused to look away from my face. "You're safe here, you can tell me."

"Did someone else already tell you?" I question and instantly regret it because from the expression on his face, clearly no one had said anything to him. 

He shook his head, "I started to wonder if it was something worse than you getting into fights when you got your lip busted and you didn't go to school for a few days. There have been a lot of little things that I've noticed, but I was never sure and I was honestly afraid to ask." 

"It's not safe for you." I breath as I look away, unable to meet his gaze as tears dampened my eyes.

"How is that? What would you being hurt have anything to do with me?"

"Because I don't want you to get in the middle of it. They might hurt you somehow because they know it'll hurt me." 

"Is it Travis? Is that what happened at that party? Is that why your so scared of him?" 

I shook my head no.

"Does it have something to do with whatever happened between him and Jenna and now he's holding a threat over your head because of what you know?"

Tyler suddenly jumped into the conversation, "I seriously doubt that, if anything Travis is afraid of Cady. He knows that she's only other person that knows the truth besides me. The only reason him and Louis didn't get any charges pressed against them is because Jenna didn't want to be seen as a victim over something that almost happened."

Josh's eyebrows scrunched together as he questioned, "What did they do to her? I've heard so many different stories that I don't know which is true."

I gave Tyler a look of warning, knowing that Jenna had made the both of us swear not to tell anyone else, but he shook his head explaining to me, "She told me once that she wouldn't mind if Josh knew, because she trusts him. It just never seemed like the right time to bring it up considering."

Josh only looked more confused, but he reminded quiet.

Tyler then turned to Josh, "Jenna had been hanging out with Louis and Travis at that party in the garage by themselves, but then she got a little tipsy and Louis tried to take advantage of that, while Travis held her down. Cady walked in by chance and according to Jenna, she hit Louis upside the head with one of the beer bottles that had been lying on the floor. It had been enough to knock him to the ground and then Cady started threatening Travis with the broken bottle and telling him to get off Jenna. It made such a commotion that the cops got called and that got Travis and Cady to be taken away in a cop car."

"And then they had to take Louis to the hospital for stitches in his head and after that was when he got addicted to the pain killers the doctors prescribed him." I add in.

"Is that why Louis hates you so much?" Josh asks. 

I nodded wordlessly. 

"Jenna said that Cady is probably the only reason she didn't get assaulted that night. A lot of people think that Cady just got in a fight with them, but they don't know why and she never said a word because she respected Jenna's wishes."

Josh seemed to be piecing this all together in his mind as he spoke to himself, "That's why all of his friends act like that towards you, but why is Ronnie still with him? He has so much stuff wrong with him and he has no problem hurting someone that she called her best friend, why is that?"

"Because I never told her about what happened in that garage, so she figured it was between me and Louis and she never tried to stop him. Outside of that, I'm not sure why she stays with him." I tell him with a shrug of my shoulders. "I knew that my friendship with Ronnie was a messed up one, but at the time she was all I had outside of my mom and Quinn."

Josh appeared a bit perplexed, "So, if it isn't Travis, who is it? Why are they even doing this to you?" 

I glanced over at Quinn, trying to find some guidance and then I thought about what he said yesterday, hurting Josh isn't keeping him safe. I turned my gaze back to Josh as he watched me with worried eyes and I just knew that I couldn't keep him out of this anymore.

I swallowed hard before I answered, "It isn't just me that's getting hurt. It's my mom and Quinn too..." 

Josh made me fall silent as he murmured, "Your dad."

I sighed heavily as I raked a hand through my hair.

He glanced at the ice pack as Quinn gently situated it against my aching ribs and Josh's frown deepened as he questioned, "Why would he do something like that to you all? You're his family." 

Quinn stepped in when I remained silent, "Anger issues, he had a pretty rough childhood, none of us are exactly sure what makes him act the way he does. Either way it's been like that our whole lives, other than the times he'll go through spells where he will be nicer to us because he's afraid of losing us."

"If he's so scared of losing you, then why hurt you in the first place?"

"We've been trying to figure that out for so long, that after a while we just learned to accept that it's just the way things are." I remark, finally deciding to speak up again. 

The struggle of emotion he was having was plain to see and I wondered if he found himself regretting getting involved with me in the first place. His gaze slipped back to my injured side and his brown eyes began to swim in tears.

I gently squeezed his hand whispering, "Hey, it's going to be okay."

Josh peered back up at me, "How?" 

"I'm working on getting them out. It's going to take some time, but I'm trying as hard as I can."

I explained to him the stash of money I had hidden away and how I was going to use it allow an escape from my father. Quinn listened to this explanation with a sad smile, he knew just as well as I did how far of a stretch my plan actually was, but it was all that I had. I told him why we couldn't go to the police or why our mom couldn't just move all of us away from him. It was clear to see that all of this information was overwhelming Josh, so I fell silent soon after that. 

Tyler obviously caught onto this as well as he suggested, "Hey Josh, do you want to head out with me to grab us all something to eat?"

Josh shook his head as his hand momentarily gripped mine a tiny bit tighter. 

Quinn glanced between the two of us before deciding something in his head and then said, "I'll go with you, Ty."

A stubborn little smile pulled at the corners of Tyler's lips as he nodded. 

A few minutes later, Josh and I were actually alone. 

"So," He spoke up. "Abby has been wondering if you'd like to come back and finish that garden of yours."

I appreciated that he decided to change the subject for the sake of both of us. "Only if her big brother and the rest of the family are alright with having me around again, after how awful I've been."

"Her family adores you, despite what you seem to think, and her big brother is starting to understand why you had to act the way you did. You were just trying to keep everyone safe."

"I don't seem to be doing a very good job of it." I mutter to myself. 

He surprised me when he got to his feet only to lean down and give me a gentle hug as he said, "But I can tell you're doing the best you can."

I gave him a one-armed hug back, afraid to lift the other and risk hurting my ribs more. I felt the air become trapped in my lungs when he lifted his head to meet my eyes. In his close proximity, he studied my face before lingering on one spot. 

"I've always wanted to ask; how did you get that scar above your eyelid?" He asked nodding to the left side of my head.

I found it oddly ironic that Josh wanted to know about that particular scar, it was one of the first one's I had ever received. 

"I got it when I was about five years old, right around when Quinn was born." I began and took in a deep breath before continuing, "My parents had been fighting over something, but I'm not sure what exactly. It could have been about affording baby formula or diapers, but either way my dad had swung at my mom. I guess I had enough of him hitting her, so I smacked his leg with my tiny hand and told him to stop. It couldn't have even hurt him, but apparently me daring to stand up against him was all that he needed to strike me instead. It tore the skin above my eye and he started freaking out, promising that he would never do it again, but that promise didn't last longer than a couple of months." 

Josh got that same stunned look from a few minutes ago and I felt guilt twist in my gut yet again.

"So, this has been happening your whole life?"

"Not constantly, there are times where things are good, but they are few and far between nowadays." 

Josh shook his head as he sighed softly, "I'm so sorry, Cadence. I wish I knew some other way to help you."

I gave him a weak smile as I tried to reassure him, "You don't need to worry about it, I'll be alright."

He opened his mouth to say something back, but quickly snapped it shut. His eyes were dark frustration and confusion, but he didn't argue against me. Instead he asked, "So, are you going to be staying here for a while?"

"Only until my ribs heal up a bit."

"Then what?"

"I go back home."

"And this might happen again?"

"It could."

Josh sank back to the floor until he was on his knees with his head in his hands. All I could do was watch him, in awe of the way this was tearing him up, with no clue how to fix it. I rested my hand on the side of his head, my fingers get slightly caught in his curls as they carded through his hair. 

He lifted his head slightly as he let out a watery laugh, "You shouldn't be the one comforting me."

"Why not?"

"Because this isn't about me. I'm not the one suffering, I'm not the one that's in actual danger."

"That doesn't mean that it can't hurt you to, though. Caring about someone else can cause a lot of pain, so you aren't doing anything wrong."

Josh's hand reached up to cover my own hand that was still resting against him. His eyes were glassy as he whispers, "But I want to help you somehow."

"Just be here."


End file.
